Viva Las Vampire
by eleen
Summary: “I want to marry you and go on our honeymoon, I don’t want to go on the lamb with the lion” The Cullens hit Vegas for Bella and Edward’s wedding, but wherever Bella goes, trouble is sure to follow…CSI Crossover, mostly Twilight Vampire fun, dont worry.
1. Pretend

A/N: Basically this takes place after Eclipse, with one small adjustment, Alice has no objection to a Vegas wedding as long as it can be elaborate, pretty, and she plans it. The fic is also a crossover with CSI, so there's going to be a little gore, fair warning to the squeamish. I'm writing this because the one thing I wanted out of Eclipse was Bella and Edward getting hitched in the same city as my favorite TV show, since that's not going to happen, I have to write my own wedding.

* * *

**Viva Las Vampire**

* * *

There's a thousand pretty women waiting out there  
And their all living devil may care  
And I'm just the devil with love to spare  
Viva Las Vegas, viva Las Vegas

-Elvis, Viva Las Vegas

* * *

Chapter 1: No More Playing Pretend 

They'd found a nice little chapel. It was slightly off the strip, fair away from the neighborhood of themed ones they'd come across last week. The street had been full of people in costumes handing out leaflets to passersby advertising their respected chapels. They had been approached by a pirate, an egyptian, Elvis, another Elvis, the Statue of Liberty and a zombie.

Once Alice got everything organized for the wedding in the small perfect chapel, she would set a date and make sure everyone on their small guest list could attend. Renee wasn't pleased that her daughter, Bella, was getting married so young, but once she walked into that chapel, Alice would make sure she forgot all her doubts. And also she, like everyone else, forgot they were really in Vegas.

Yes, the chapel Alice had tracked down was the tamest in Vegas. It had simple wooden pews, an altar and white flowers everywhere. As an added bonus, it was run by a man who looked like an actual priest, not like he'd confused the date of Halloween. It was traditional, not novelty.

It was perfect.

But Bella wanted nothing to do with it.

She had something totally different in mind.

"No."

"Edward…"

"No."

"But…" 

"No."

"If you love me…"

"It's ridiculous."

"But it's perfect!"

"Alice found us an exceptional chapel already."

"But I like this one and the Bride runs the show." Bella grabbed Edward's hand and led him into the back of the chapel as they watched a man dressed in black leather robes pronounce to figures, also dressed in black, man and wife. The few tourists that had gathered in the pews to watch the show clapped.

"Look, Edward!" Bella pointed over the corner. "They have a blood fountain!"

"Whatever that is, it's not blood." The Vampire responded.

"Look at this place." Bella examined a craved gargoyle. The chapel was lit with black candles that framed the aisle and hung from the ceiling in iron fixtures. At the back of the room someone had swapped out an altar for a giant dark oak anch, the symbol for eternal life. Demonic looking gargoyles and black roses decorated the pillars that supported the vaulted ceiling. "It's awesome."

"You do know there's no _real_ Vampires here." Leaning forward to examine the gargoyle eye to eye.

"So?"

"So this is a mockery…just like Halloween." Edward said, straightening up to look Bella eye to eye.

"It's just for fun, Edward." She argued as they crept back to the front room, careful not to disturb the end of the service. The receptionist sat behind a simple desk painting her short nails midnight black. Intricate swirls of dark tattoos decorated the part her chest displayed by her low-cut black dress. Bella suspected that under her black sleeves, her arms were also covered.

"Hello, my name is Angra," A man in black leather robes approached them with a sales pitch. He wore a silver Ankh pendant around his neck and had clip-on fangs attached to his teeth. "Are you two interested in being joined in eternal matrimony in the house of the damned?"

"Yes."

"No."

Undeterred by Edwards refusal the man called Angra pressed on, "We have a new package were trying out, after you pledge your souls to each other in front of all the underworld to see we release two bats as a symbol of your dark eternal union."

"Oh, that sounds lovely!" Bella threw Edward a big smile and linked her arm with his. If it wasn't for his rolling eyes they might have looked like the prefect couple.

Edward looked down at Bella, "Your going to make this as difficult as possible, aren't you?"

"Yep." Bella turned back to the Angra. "See my fiancée, he's a Vampire." Edward threw Bella a sharp look but Bella ignored him. "We were looking for a chapel that was a bit more _appropriate_."

The tattooed receptionist had risen and was now leaning over Angra's shoulder, her nose and lip rings glinted in the florescent lighting of the room. "He doesn't _look_ like a Vampire, he doesn't even have any fangs." She said, cocking her head to the side and examining Edward. Whereas most woman were immediately taken with Edward and his model looks, this one seemed put off by his relatively tame appearance compared to her and the other staff.

"We're all adults here." Bella sighed. "We all know your fangs are clip-ons."

"I was born with these." The woman gasped, as if Bella had dealt her a great offence.

"Sure. And I'm the tooth fairy."

"You little mortal, I'm going to-"

"Jezebel…" Angra said in a warning tone. "Stop fighting with the patrons."

The receptionist growled and stepped back from Angra, she bared fangs that were four shades whiter than her teeth. Bella and Edward fought the urge to snicker.

"His are getting reshaped." Bella informed them, patting Edward's forearm. "Bar fight." She explained casually. "With a werewolf."

Angra nodded understandably. "Happened to my cousin last month."

"As wonderful as you're establishment is," Edward said. "I'm afraid it's not what we had in mind. Good day." He practically dragged Bella out the door into the Nevada night, taking advantage of their inter-linked arms. Outside it was bright, it was one of the reasons Las Vegas had been a good location for their wedding, the city never slept. Bella had become practically nocturnal, during the day she would crash in her and Edward's hotel room at the Monte Carlo while the insomniac Vampires enjoyed the many attractions the resort offered including a spa, casino, mini mall, arcade and various shows. But during the night, she and the Cullens would spend their time exploring the Vegas nightlife and checking out all the local tourist attractions.

But tonight she had dragged Edward away from the others, especially Alice, to check out all the novelty chapels that the city had to offer. Not that she didn't like Alice's help, Bella herself had no idea how to plan a wedding and was grateful for her help, but she wasn't sure how her friend would react to the other possible locations.

"Now, what was so bad about that place?" Bella protested.

"Are you proposing that I marry you in-" He glanced up at the neon sigh hanging over the door. "Dracula's Coven of Love." Besides the bright red words there was heart, the sign was animated to give the illusion of two drops of blood rolling off.

"What? It seemed like a nice place."

"They had a 'no garlic beyond this point' sign!" Edward gestured to the door of the chapel with his hand.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bella could see Jezebel, the receptionist, watching them argue from the window. "Come on, look on the bright side, everyone can talk about Vampires all they want and no one will even care!"

"I am not marring you there, although we wouldn't be the first." Edward informed her as they began to make their way down the street.

"What?" Bella gasped, taken aback by the news. "You know a Vampire that got married there? Did it go badly? Is that why you're so-"

"No, No and No."

"So how do you…"

"I smelt one," He explained. "Very stale, though."

"See, I bet lots of Vampires have gotten hitched there, it's probably a big joke on the Vampire circuit."

"What do you mean?" Edward cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Well there's got to be some Myspace or Facebook group out there…"

"You think Vampires keep track of ironic wedding locations over the internet? Bella, you know Vampires are very spread out, the only other coven we're in contact with is Tanya's."

"Do you think one of them…"

Suddenly Edward grabbed her forearm and they ground to a halt.

"What? What is it?" Bella asked as him, she glanced around expecting to see some mythological creature barreling towards them.

Edward closed his eyes and inhaled. "Vampire. Maybe the same one." He opened is mouth slightly, letting the scent hit him full in the base of the throat.

"Maybe they decided to stay for their Honeymoon." Bella suggested, hoping whomever he was smelling was friendly. Hopefully a vegetarian also.

Edward shook his head. "Blood. Lots of blood."

"Where?"

"Close."

"What do we do?" They could call Carlisle and have him and another one of Edward's 'siblings' investigate, Edward was not having Bella near another wild Vampire. He tried to search nearby thoughts, but unfortunately the fast paced city of Sin had lots on its mind. He couldn't tell if the two smells had any connection, but someone could be in trouble and there was no time to waste.

"Stay close to me." Edward advised, taking her hand and leading her further down the street before turning into a dark alleyway. Soon the coppery smell of blood hit Bella too.

"I think I'm going to be sick." They turned another corner and Bella's foot stepped in something wet. She looked down; the liquid splashed on her shoes and freckled her bare leg. She looked up and was met with a gruesome sight. In front of Bella and Edward, lit by a streetlight, was a rusty Dumpster brimming with garbage. Positioned on top of the heap was a woman, her throat had been ripped out and her blood soaked head was hanging on only by a strip of skin and a partially intact spinal cord. The blood had dripped down from the wound and pooled onto the ground. The woman's head faced them, her eyes wide and open, her last moments of fear were still etched, frozen, in her features.

Bella screamed.

Edward caught her as she stumbled back into his arms.

For Bella, everything went black.


	2. DNA

_I wouldn't front the scene if you paid me  
I'm just the way that the doctor made me, on,  
and on,  
and on,  
and on  
Love is the red the rose on your coffin door  
What's life like, bleeding on the floor,  
the floor,  
the floor_

_-Thank You For The Venom, My Chemical Romance_

* * *

**Chapter 2: DNA**

* * *

"I told you, we didn't see anyone."

"Let's go through this one more time."

"I want to see Bella."

"She's fine. Hey look at me, young man." Detective Brass snapped as Edward glanced over his shoulder to check on Bella, who was sitting in an ambulance. Balding and dressed in a brown suit, Brass had wasted no time taking Edward's statement before he could be reunited with Bella. Several police officers were dividing the area around the mouth of the alley with yellow crime scene tape as a crowd, drawn by the beacon of the flashing police lights, started to gather. More cops were arriving, ducking under the tape. Edward had told the detective exactly how he and Bella had discovered the body, but another man had joined them and Edward had been ordered to recount the whole thing again. "We take these things very seriously."

The second man, who Detective Brass had introduced as Dr. Grissom from the crime lab, threw Brass a significant look, Edward wondered if this was going to be some sort of good cop bad cop routine.

"Just start from the beginning." The Detective ordered Edward.

"Bella and I were out."

"Who's Bella?" Dr. Grissom, the criminalist, asked Edward. Brass jerked his heads towards the ambulance, where Bella was visible.

"Isabella Swan." He informed his colleague after glancing at his notes.

"Now that were all aquatinted…" Edward muttered.

Brass ignored him. "Why did you go out?" Brass demanded.

"I really don't think that's any of your concern."

"Why did you go into the alley?"

"We heard a woman scream." Edward lied smoothly, he knew the Detective didn't believe him. Brass had grown suspicious of Edward the first time he had questioned him, Brass had decided that something was wrong with how calmly he seemed after just discovering such a gruesome murder.

"So you led your girlfriend down an alley you suspected to be dangerous?" Brass asked, trying to rattle Edward.

"I am perfectly capable of protecting her." Edward informed him seriously before continuing his account. "We turned a corner and saw her."

"Did you see anyone around? Hear anything?" Detective Brass asked.

"No."

"Then what?" Brass prompted.

"We called 911."

"What happened to your friend?" Dr. Grissom asked.

"She faints at the sight of blood, after we saw the body I took her back out to the sidewalk." Edward left out his phone call to Carlisle, his pseudo-father had advised him to play the honest tourist and call it in. Edward had told him about the unfamiliar vampire he had smelt and had wanted to get Bella out of Las Vegas that minute. Carlisle had talked the neurotic Edward down, reminding him that nothing good could come of them seen fleeing the scene of a murder. They were innocent and they had to make sure everyone else thought so to, lest the Volturi get word otherwise.

The criminalist shone his flashlight down the alley behind them, as he did this he asked Edward if he or Bella had touched anything.

"No, but Bella did step in the blood pool."

The criminalist frowned, his flashlight following a trail of blood drops that led up the alley.

"Are you sure that's it?" Detective Brass asked.

"Yes." Edward snapped, frustrated. He glanced over at the ambulance to see that a young man in a vest identifying him as a "Crime Scene Investigator" was now talking to Bella.

"I want to see Bella."

"Fine," Detective Brass relented. "We have to talk to her next now that she's awake."

The three men, Edward in the lead, made their way over to Bella and the CSI. Upon seeing Edward approaching, Bella swung her legs over the side of the gurney she had been made to lie in and made her way out of the ambulance.

Still woozy from her fainting spell, Bella's foot caught on the edge of the ambulance floor.

In about 0.0067 seconds Edward was catching her for the second time that night, she wondered if this was a new record.

"Nice reflexes, man." The CSI in the ambulance said, Edward could see the name on his vest read "Sanders".

Edward didn't respond, all his attention was on Bella. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." Everything had begun spinning as soon as she had leapt off the gurney, but it Edward's arms she felt thoroughly grounded.

"Are you sure?"

"They took my shoes." Bella muttered, and Edward took notice of her bare feet. "And my socks, they had her blood on them."

"They're evidence." CSI Sanders explained, jumping out of the ambulance to join them. "We need them to compare to the shoe treads at the crime scene."

"If you must." Edward rolled his eyes, he turned to the Detective Brass and the Criminalist. "Can we go now, I would really like to get Bella back to the Hotel." He threw a glance down the alley, eyeing the blood trail Bella's dripping shoes had left behind.

"Not until we get her statement." Detective Brass informed him.

"Isabella?" Dr. Grissom addressed Bella. "Do you remember anything?"

Bella turned her head to towards the Criminalist. "Edward and I were out for a walk, check out some chapels…"

"Are you getting married?" He asked.

"Yes." Bella answered and then returned to her story. "We were walking and then…" Bella trailed off, she couldn't exactly explained to the authorities about Edwards's supernatural senses that had detected the dead woman's blood.

"What happened next?" Brass asked.

"Is this really necessary?" Edward protested. "I've already told you what happened."

"Isabella?" Dr. Grissom prompted gently.

"I don't remember." Bella shook her head, her curtain of dark hair obscuring her face. "I just remember blood. So much blood. And then I saw the woman…and then I was in the ambulance. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Said Dr. Grissom.

"Is that all?" Edward asked the three men.

"We just need you to volunteer a DNA sample and your fingerprints, it will only take a minute, we need to know what traces you left behind." Dr. Grissom explained, he turned to the other CSI, Sanders. "Greg."

Greg Sanders applied ink onto Bella and Edward's fingers with a small roller and pressed then each in turn to labeled cards. Bella, who Edward had placed in the back of the ambulance, allowed the Criminalist to swab the inside of her cheek for a DNA sample, he carefully labeled in and then turned Edward.

"I'm refusing."

"We just want to-"

"-Rule us out, I know. But I'd rather not give you my DNA." Edward wasn't sure exactly what their lab would find with the DNA of a vampire.

"You know how this will look."

"We really must be going. You'll have to conjure a warrant if you want anything from me."

Edward gathered up Bella in his arms, her feet still bare, and headed towards the crime scene tape to where a black Lincoln Navigator with tinted windows was waiting.

"Any further questions can be directed to my lawyer." Edward threw over his shoulder.

"If you remember anything," Detective Brass emerged from behind a police car, "Be sure to give us a call."

"I will." Edward accepted a card from Brass.

"Where can we reach you if we have anymore questions?"

"My family and I are staying at the Monte Carlo, we expect to be in town for three more weeks if nothing arises."

And with that Edward walked the few feet to the waiting black SUV and he and Bella got into the back seat. Edward closed the door.

"Just so your aware," Edward said, "Detective Brass finds this car highly suspicious."

Emmett grinned back at them from the passenger seat, but Carlisle however did not look pleased. "Are you two under suspect for murder?" He asked.

"Maybe." Edward replied, nonchalantly.

"Edward."

"The Detective knows something's off, but he's not exactly sure that we killed her."

"I didn't think they would," Carlisle explained as he drove. "From what you told me I expect this is the forth death in a murder spree."

"Forth?" Bella asked, her eyes wide. "Three more women? How come we didn't know about this?"

"Could we talk about this later?" Edward hinted, glancing at Bella. She had had enough murder for one night.

"No." Bella stated, she addressed Carlisle. "Is it a vampire that's doing it?"

"Unless we were to examine the crime scenes or bodies there is no way of telling, but were considering the possibility."

"You knew about this?" Edward hissed, outraged by his father's unshared knowledge. "You had reason to believe a vampire was on a killing spree in Vegas and you let me bring Bella here?"

"Technically they started the say after we arrived, the very day after to be precise. You can see that this doesn't look good." Carlisle explained.

"I don't care how it looks!"

"Edward, if you and Bella leave now it will bring us under suspicion. Do you want to Volturi to get word that you might have murdered four woman and threatened our secret? Do you want them to send someone to investigate?"

Edward slumped back in his seat and didn't say anything.

"What happens if the police decide to investigate us?" Bella asked.

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that. As long you guys cooperate with the police, they'll forget about you, catch the real killer and this will all be over." Carlisle assured them.

_You don't want Bella involved in this, _Carlisle thought.

"No." Responded Edward.

_She's been through a lot already._

"Exactly."

_Maybe she can handle it._

"No. She shouldn't have to worry about this."

"What are you talking about?" Bella muttered, fighting the urge to sleep.

"I hate it when they do this…." Emmett said.

_Four victims, dare I say it, so far? A sting of serial murders will be all over the news. _

"This has nothing to do with us. We'll just wait for it to blow over."

_You won't be able to protect her from everything…_

"We'll see."

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Please review! Tell me how this is working for ya, guys!


	3. Sources

A/N: I've decided to give Bella _slightly _more of a backbone. Just 'cause.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Sources**

* * *

_Keep your foot out of my door.  
I don't want you on my floor.  
Yeah,  
Take it from the source.  
Yeah,  
It's killing my softcore.  
I'm dressed in my best soul.  
You drag it through the mud.  
I'd like to keep my skin on.  
It's holding in my blood.  
Open wounds that never heal.  
You're the flies and I'm the meal._

-Softcore by Jawbreaker

* * *

_He was a blur, no more than a wisp of smoke in the night when he grabbed her. She was light in his arms as he tossed her onto the dais. He leered over her, she stopped screaming and became frozen staring, as if entranced in fear, into his bright yellow eyes. But her body couldn't help but elicit a piercing scream as he sunk his razor teeth into her neck. But she was silenced, for he now held her trachea in his mouth. _

O0O0O0O0O

Bella slept through the morning and well into the afternoon of the twelfth. While she slept, Edward watched her, alone with his thoughts.

Carlisle had been right about one thing in their conversation last night: Bella had been through plenty already. She had seen horrific things and felt the brush of death in her teenage life, one of the hazards of having a Vampire for a boyfriend. How could he have ever thought they could have had anything remotely close to a normal relationship?

But then the possibility of marriage appeared on the horizon, and now he finally had a ring on her finger. Las Vegas was a chance for them to relocate to a place so different from Forks to give Bella a Wedding she could tolerate.

Edward gave Bella a small kiss on her cheek before raising himself off of the paisley bedspread and wandering over to the window. His pale fingers slipped through the part in the cream curtains and separated their think folds to peer down onto the swirling city below. It wasn't just the capital for getting hitched or rich, it was a cesspool in which all manors of evil and corruption brewed. The glitzy, promisingly upscale ads and tourist destination reputation had both fooled and blinded them, and Edwards cursed himself for ever bringing Bella to a place like this.

The more he went over the last night's events in his head the more he convinced himself that a Vampire could only be only explanation for the crime he and Bella had discovered.

He or she…Edward was betting on _he_ based on the scent.

Male, young and wild.

A Monster.

He had killer three women, that they knew of, in the last week. All had been investigated by the Las Vegas Police Department, all were currently unsolved. They could investigate all they wanted, but there was no way that a mortal police force was going to catch a vampire. And he would go on killing until the Volturi stepped in.

Which was good news for Las Vegas, Edward supposed, but definitely bad news of him and his family.

And if a rouge Vampire was the source of the murders, he had to stop it before the Volturi swooped in and found Bella and his family in the middle of a string of sloppy, public, supernaturally produced murders.

Even with Alice's visions for warnings, Edward had always hoped to put off their evading of the Volturi for as long as possible.

He couldn't skip town and risk his and Bella's human identity. He couldn't do nothing and risk their lives altogether.

As Edward's ever-altering eyes scanned the city below, he came to the conclusion that the only way to protect Bella was to find this monster.

A murderous Vampire.

A soulless Vampire.

Sin City indeed.

O0O0O0O0O

"I had a friend of mine email theses to me." Carlisle placed a stack of color photos on the table of his and Esme's room. The hotel rooms they had rented were designed with three rooms, a bathroom connected by a door to the bedroom and another door connecting to the outer room which contained a sofa, TV, desk, coffee table, two chairs and a kitchenette. The Cullens were gathered around the small table in the kitchenette and Carlisle proceeded to spread out the photos. The first few were of a redhead in her

thirties, the next lot was of a blonde girl with a severely mangled face. The third and final victim was an almost decapitated and bore a resemblance to the first: both possessing thin lips, high cheekbones and slight noses. All three had misplaced and broken bones displayed under their purple skin as well as gorged out throats.

"Who's your source?" Jasper asked, picking up a close up shot of a broken arm.

"I have an old friend who works in the coroner's office." Carlisle explained. "I called in a favor. I had to give him my word I wouldn't leak them to the press, I told him they were for research purposes. But he knew I was just satisfying a curiosity."

"First girl was a Mary Andrew." Esme informed the other Cullens, rotating her laptop to display an article. "Killed in her home. Police questioned her husband, but he had an airtight alibi."

"You said you thought the girl you found was posed, Edward?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes, odds are the killer had to have gotten her up there."

"Any reports on how the first girl was positioned."

"The press claimed 'inside sources' had leaked to them that Mary Andrews was discovered on her kitchen table."

"So our vamp was dining in?" Emmett suggested.

"If it is a 'vamp'," Edward said.

"Second victim," Esme pulled up another window, "Jane Doe, most likely a prostitute, body was found in an alley off the Strip."

"Wait…" Rosalie looked at the headline. "Does that say 'Werewolf'?"

"Bloody paw-prints were found surrounding the body and teeth marks on her face were identified as Canine." Carlisle explained.

Rosalie quickly scanned the article. "They're blaming this on a _werewolf?_"

"No one would expect a human to be capable of such mutilation." Edward mused as he looked at the Jane Doe's destroyed face.

"I was probably just a stray dog who came to investigate the carnage." Carlisle reasoned.

"Story stuck for a while, but it died after no leads came in." Esme said.

"Third victim, Juliana Leishman." Carlisle went on. "Discovered at home by her friend."

Esme spun her laptop around and pulled up an article dated three days ago with a high quality photo of a woman sprawled on a sofa.

"Oh my god." Alice said. "How did someone ever get that close? Was it leaked?"

"Look at her positioning." Jasper commented. "The wound at the lowest part of the body, he uses gravity to hasten consumption."

"Just like the forth girl." Edward recalled the similar position of the woman he and Bella had discovered.

"Look at the necks," Jasper indicated a photo, "Completely ripped out." He pointed at another. "Bones crushed. Do you have the autopsy reports?"

Carlisle pulled out another small stack of printouts. "Cause of death for all three was ruled esanguination through the neck, investigator were unable to match dental impressions. Medical examiners also noted the victims all had various bones crushed, cause unknown. Other bones appeared to have been snapped by blunt force."

They all exchanged grim looks. Finally Alice spoke:

"Well folks, it looks like were on for another vampire hunt."

O0O0O0O0O

He wasn't there when she woke up. Even though he didn't need to be he was _always_ there when she woke up.

Immediately she thought something was wrong. But everything seemed perfectly undisturbed; the only thing wrong with the generic hotel room was that it was Edward-less. The worst state a room could be in.

He probably just needed to talk to one of the others, she reasoned, he just stepped out for a second.

But she'd dreamed about that woman from the alley and a faceless vampire buried in the folds of her hair with its mouth on her throat, and she needed to be close to Edward.

She remembered the dream vividly, quickly committing the details to memory. The Vampire had grabbed the woman, she had screamed. It had then proceeded to place the woman on the Dumpster, almost to display her.

Bella chambered out of her bed, by the light of the strip that filtered though the half-pulled curtains she found a sweater and her slippers and proceeded to pull them on. She made her way through the outer room and into the hall. She heard voices coming from Carlisle and Esme's room and knocked.

Carlisle answered the door.

"Is Edward in there?"

"Yes," he stepped back and Bella looked in.

All the Cullens were gathered around a table, files and pictures scattered about.

"What's going on?" Bella asked from the doorway, subconsciously wiping sleep from her eyes.

Everyone looked at Edward.

He stood and moved closer, trying to block the gory pictures that littered the table. "Nothing."

All eyes were fixed on her, she felt like she was intruding. "Can I talk to you." She said to her slippers.

"All right." Edward placed a hand on her shoulder and led her into the hall.

"What are you guys doing in there?"

"Nothing, love."

"I didn't look like nothing. What were those pictures?"

"Just something one of Carlisle's source sent him."

"Source? This is about those women?" She inquired, remembering her dream.

"Yes, but Bella it's nothing you have to be worried about." He said as if this ended all discussion on the matter.

"So what? You're not going to tell me anything. You're taking advantage of my human need for sleep to keep me oblivious?"

"Just let us take care of this."

"So you're not going to tell me."

"There are somethings, Bella, that you don't need to see."

"Whatever it is I can handle it."

"I'm doing this to protect you." Edward said, exasperated. If she didn't know he never needed to sleep, she would have thought him tired. "Just go back to bed."

"Fine, but don't even think about joining me."

Bella spun on her heel and sped past Alice and Jasper's room, adjacent to Emmett and Rosalie's, and stormed through her and Edward's open door. She didn't bother to lock it, Edward had the other key. She did, however, lock the door that separated the bedroom from the outer room with the kitchenette and living area.

She crawled to the back of the bed, to the side that _didn't_ smell like him. His smell just made her sulk harder right now.

As Bella contemplated her attempt at putting Edward in the Doghouse, she heard a click and the door swung open.

"I thought Vampires had to be _invited_ in." She muttered, referring to an ancient Vampire myth trying to annoy him.

"I picked the lock. In the case of no invitation they have tips posted on the Vampire MySpace." Edward stated as he took a seat on the bed next to her.

"Oh, mockery, that's a good strategy." Bella muttered as she scooted away from him.

"Strategy? A strategy for what?" He asked, inching closer to her.

"For apologizing."

"Okay," he kissed her neck, "maybe I should revise my tactics." He began to trail icy kisses down her throat.

"No, no, no!" Bella protested, she bit back a gasp as Edward's lips found some particularly sensitive skin. She placed an elbow into the center of his perfectly sculpted chest. It was like jabbing a brick wall.

Edward's lips left her skin, but his head remained in the crook of her neck. "So I can't distract you from this?"

"No."

"I thought you had a one track mind."

"That was before you started purposely excluding me from Cullen family meetings. I was there with you when we found that woman; I deserve to know what happened to her. And stop trying to take advantage of my mind."

"Bella, I don't want to exclude you from anything, but this…this is nothing you should have to worry about."

"But I do…last night, I dreamt about her, but this time she was still alive." She shuddered.

Edward sat straight up and looked her in the eye. "You did? Bella, if this is bothering you that much, we can leave, we'll-"

"No. We're not skipping town because I'm having bad dreams. Besides, we can't leave the police to deal with a rabid Vampire? More people will die. No." She shook her head. "We're staying right here."

* * *

TBC

* * *

Reviews make me write faster. 


	4. Liquid

A/N: Damn…why to Bella and Edward have to care about virtue? I'm itching to write a love scene with those two and it shows a bit on this chapter, most of it is actually by request by my little sister which is kind of scary. And apparently this fandom hates Jacob more than I assumed so I threw in a little Jake-hate, hope you don't mind ;). I also threw in a major LOTR reference, can ya spot it?

A/N 2: I'm SOOOO sorry I haven't been updating. I suck. I've been working on the next few chapters of this plus a Twilight epic that popped into my head and wouldn't be ignored. And a HUGE thanks to abovetherim, Aspen's Dark Twilight, Aziel, Bellabff, Gaara's ANBU ninja girl, MaceyXD, Maggiohene, waitsiriusly411, ShinyThings6465, 278219 and 9ud9ir190ne6ad for taking the time to leave reviews, it means so much to me!

* * *

**Chapter 4: Liquid**

* * *

_He calls the mansion not a house, but a tomb,  
He's always choking from the stench and the fumes,  
The wedding party all collapsed in the room,  
So send my resignation to the bride and the groom.  
Let's go down!  
This elevator only goes up to ten._

-To The End, My Chemical Romance

* * *

Jacob wasn't absolutely sure where he was, or for that matter, how he got there. But he was sure, that he was sitting at a bar nursing a beer and, hopefully, somewhere in the U.S.. 

The werewolf wouldn't pride his alertness in the state he was in, he felt like an over-saturated sponge slowly swimming through murky dishwater.

He didn't know how long he had run but he did know that he'd made stop along the way. Various diners and gas stations had provided assistance in the slow process of weaning himself of his human familiarity of this world.

And them he'd smelt _her_.

And then he's smelt _him_.

The very people he'd been trying to put behind him and, damn, he needed a drink.

Now he remembered where he was! Vegas: the land of neon, blinking lights. The shiny pulsing city was another planet compared to La Push. But the alien world had been quite fine with Jacob until Edward Cullen sauntered in the Monte Carlo Brew Pub.

"A Bloody Mary for my friend," Jacob ordered.

"Are you stalking me?" Edward asked calmly, taking a seat next to Jacob at the bar. "We're in Vegas, you're in Vegas. I don't think the phrase 'I was just in the neighborhood' is going to cut it."

"Don't you believe in fate?" Jacob proposed, pensively.

"I believe in werewolves, so I consider myself open-minded. But with you, a coincidence such as this is unlikely."

"Don't worry, vamp, I won't let her see me. We've made our peace."

The Bartender slid Edward's drink towards him, Edward flicked the celery stick protruding from the red liquid and it swirled around the glass taking the black straw with it. "Good to know."

"I know she's-" Jacob took a swing from his tankard. "-She's made her decision. Her choice."

Edward just nodded.

"And it sucks…but what can I do? What can I do? I could kill you, I guess."

Edward ignored his drink and fixed his icy glare upon Jacob, "So you came to Vegas to murder me?" He looked around before adding in a disbelieving tone, "In a bar?"

Jacob gave an unenthusiastic shrug and made a noise somewhere between a grunt and a "nah".

"So…." Edward prompted.

"I mean, she'd never forgive me. But it might be worth it, s'long as she's not a monster."

"That's a bit rich coming from a werewolf."

"We're nothing like you," He spat. "Don't try to call me a hypa…hypa…hypa…liar."

Edward cocked an eyebrow. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Not enough."

"By what I've observed it was at least 'too much'. Werewolves can't hold their liquor."

"Shut up, leech."

"It's common knowledge in my circles."

"Why don't you put your money where your fangs are?"

"Are you challenging me?"

Jacob took a moment to ponder the vampire's question. Then: "Yes, yes I am."

O0O0O0O0O

A crowd had slowly formed around the bar as the two men matched each other shot for shot. People had begun to place bets, unaware of the mythological battle before them, just simply eager for a gamble.

"I've got twenty on the tall one."

"My money's on the cute pale guy!"

"Another shot and that guy's finished!"

"Pale Dude's a bottomless pit, man, look at him go!"

Edwards fixed his unblinking stare on Jacob as he downed another shot like water.

Jacob was at a bit of a disadvantage, having a far more human digestive system. However, although the liquor was effecting him, Jacob refused to give in. He swallowed another shot, the liquid burned his throat. "Bella wouldn't want us to fight."

"Is that defeat I smell?"

"No."

"Then were not fighting. Oh, and once you lose," Edward said, "on behalf of Bella and I, we request that you leave us in peace." He drank.

The crowed "oooooo"ed, so there was a girl between these two?

"Oooooohhhh, that's it!" Jacob slurred before doing another shot. He slammed the glass down on the bar, cracking it, and raised his fists. "You and me. Right here."

Edward looked at him, amused, and downed his umpteenth shot. He frowned upon swallowing it. "I feel something…"

Jacob's eyes widened at Edward's confession.

"…A slight tingling in my fingers." Edward's brow was furrowed as he examined his pale digits. "I think it's affecting me." He declared, looking both stunned and worried at the development.

"Stupid bloodsucker." Jacob made to throw a punch but only managed to lose his balance and fall off the barstool. He didn't stir.

Edward rolled Jacob on his side so he wouldn't choke on his own vomit.

"Game over." He smirked before exiting the bar.

O0O0O0O0O

Bella had become consumed with examining the floor tiles. A hotel employee eyed her quizzically as she remained stagnate in her vigil outside the entrance to the Brew Pub. In fact, she was so consumed with the intricate patterns adorning the floor that she didn't notice the Greek god of a being exiting the door to her right.

"Bella?" Her head snapped up at the sound of his musical voice. "What are you doing here? I thought you were asleep, it's 2:00 am."

"You fancied a drink?" she asked, nodding towards the pub as they began to make their way back to the elevators.

"I couldn't help myself, there was an interesting smell in the air." He left out the werewolf ex-best friend passed out beside the bar. "How did you know?"

"I asked Alice."

"Ah, yes, she'd know."

"How did you get in?" She asked, her brow furrowing. "You're suppose to be 18."

He smiled mischievously and fished out his wallet. "After you've been around as long as I have…" he let his wallet fall open and a steam of Ids unraveled like a roll of streamers at a party, each bearing different names, ages and locations. "You end up taking on a few identities. Bouncers never check dates."

"Is that an Alaskan drivers license?" Bella asked as she examined the IDs.

"Yes-"

"Eduaed Curlson?" She frowned at one of the IDs, what language was that?

"You see…"

"Eduardo Cuevas?"

"Hey," he rolled his wallet back together and Bella grinned. "Emmett got me those ones. I'll have him get you one."

"I missed you," She blurted out.

"Oh."

She pressed on, "Why all the nighttime trips? I mean, you don't have to spend all your time with me, I woke up and thought maybe you were mad about me insisting that we stay in Vegas last night and we didn't get a chance to talk yesterday because Alice dragged me off to look at decorations for the wedding…"

They'd arrived at the elevators. While Edward punched in their floor number, Bella continued.

"You weren't there when I woke up and I just find it hard to sleep sometimes when you're not there…"

He silenced her with a kiss, his lips molding into hers. Edward's hand crept under her gray sweater and shirt to caress her taut stomach, she whimpered at his touch and leaned into his body. Bella swore steam should be flowing of her skin as his ice-cold hands caressed her burning flesh. Anything physical between them was always a storm. Hot and cold clashing together in repressed lust.

Bella let it last for a few moments before coming to her senses and pulling away.

"Um, Edward?"

"Yes, love? What's wrong?"

"What about the security cameras?" She blushed at the thought of giving whoever was in the surveillance room monitoring the cameras a show.

"Oh…I forgot to tell you," Edward explained as he played with a strand of her hair. "As of the threat of the Volturi and police coming to investigate…they are currently undergoing technical difficulties."

"Clever." She said wryly.

As he leaned in intent of capturing her lips with his, a _ding_ sounded from somewhere above them, signally their arrival at their pre-desired floor.

"I was going to put you to bed, but this is much more interesting."

"It's a good thing I'm not tried, then."

Edward absentmindedly pushed several random buttons and the elevator doors clanged shut.

"Now where were we…?" He trailed off suggestively before crashing his lips to hers and kissing her hard, by human standards, anyway, the last thing Bella needed was a broken jaw.

His icy hands continued their exploration of her stomach and back while Bella's hands wound their way into his messy bronze locks. "Edward," she moaned and began to trail passionate kisses down his jaw and throat. She longed to try and bite _him_ but his skin was likely to shatter her teeth so she settled for raking her teeth over his jugular. She was rewarded with a gasp.

"Bella, you're going to be the death of me." He pinned her body between him and the wall, recapturing her devilish lips in his. His hands snaked higher and Bella savored the sensation of that combined with the chilled kisses he proceeded to place down her throat. She went limp against the railing that wound around the interior of the elevator, overcome by the feelings coursing to the center of her body, the humming in the pit of her stomach. She shuddered, but it had nothing to do with the cold.

Somewhere in a still semi-functioning section of her brain Bella imagined how easy it would be for him to bite her…so close…Would in hurt? Or would she feel a pleasant sensation caused by the steady pull of her veins emptying of-

"Blood."

"What?" Bella gasped.

The elevator doors clanked open and Bella smelt it to. She felt the elevator begin to spin.

Edward glanced at the numbers above the open door declaring their arrival at the fourteenth floor. He looked out and discovered the source of the smell; a stream of red water was slowly making its way down the hall towards them.

"What's going on?" Bella prodded.

He'd been too distracted by Bella's scent to smell the amble amount of diluted blood flowing down the fourteenth floor corridor, but the other Vampires staying in the hotel would no doubt be aware.

"Listen to me, love, something's not right, we're-"

"Is it a Vampire? Is it him?" Bella folded her arms around herself.

"I don't know, but here's what were going to do, we're going to go straight back to our floor and find the others. No…wait-" he swore, "this elevators been programmed to stop at random floors…" As he spoke he had to stick out his hand to keep the door from closing and the elevator carrying them to a random floor.

"There's another one next to us." Bella said, remembering they were in one of three adjacent elevators.

"Bella, love, close your eyes." Edward ordered in a low voice and she obeyed and he picked her up and cradled her in his arms. Not trusting her own feet if he attempted to lead her, she had enough trouble walking when she could see.

"What-"

"Shhh…don't think about it." Edward's velvety voice soothed her.

The Vampire made his way over the slightly saturated hardwood floor, his movement causing red ripples to form around his feet. His acute hearing had picked up the running shower in the opposite direction. He turned and pushed the up arrow to the neighboring elevator, it popped open and Bella and Edward entered, Bella opened her eyes and punched in their floor number from her position in Edward's arms. Once they began to move he sat Bella down and proceed to remove his wet and bloody shoes and socks and place them on top of the elevator through the hatch above them.

For down the hallway to their hotel room Edward insisted on moving at Vampire speed. Bella closed her eyes and in what seems like no time at all she was being placed back onto her feet in the safety (she hoped) of Esme and Carlisle's room.

"Edward! Bella!" Esme cried as she rushed forward. Rosalie, the only other vampire present, remained in the corner. "Thank goodness you're both alright." She hugged both of them. "Edward, where are your shoes?" She scolded, taking in his bear feet.

"They had blood on them," Edward explained.

"What's going on? Why does the fourteenth floor smell like blood?" Bella interrupted.

"Vampire. Same one as before." Edward reported. "Dammit! He began to pace. "Why didn't we leave! We're in the middle of a Vampire murder spree! This is no coincidence that the _one_ hotel full of vampires in running with blood. Bella go pack your things."

"What?"

"We're leaving."

"No. We already had this discussion and we agreed we're not leaving."

"That was before the fourteenth floor looks like it was a set for a horror movie!"

"We can't just leave! This Vampire will just keep killing women until the Volturi show up!"

"This is not our problem. However when the Volturi show up then it will be our problem."

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen you're a coward! You'd just let this happen just so long as the Volturi don't show up!"

"This isn't about me, this is about you."

"Oh! So this is my fault!"

"It's about your safety."

"So then bite me and we can all be invincible and go after it!"

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "We are not having this discussion. And, Rosalie, we are not already acting like an old married couple."

"This is not over." Bella glowered before turning to Esme. "Where is everyone?"

"We all smelt the blood, Carlisle and Emmett went to check out the situation. Till they get back…" She addressed Edward. "No one leaves."

"Yes mom." He grumbled before relocating to the kitchen to sulk.

"What about…" Bella began.

"Alice and Jasper went shopping." Esme informed her.

"Well," Bella sighed, "At least they have an alibi."

O0O0O0O0O

As they stepped out of the elevator the sound of a shower running grew steadily louder. The ripples around Carlisle and Emmett's feet grew clearer as they approached an open doorway, the source of the blood. Carlisle used his elbow to push open the door, Emmett pulled on a pair of leather gloves.

The room was set up differently than the Cullens'. There was no living area or kitchenette, instead it was dominated by a queen side bed flanked by two side tables, a desk and a chair stood along the side wall, a large window displayed the glittering strip. The two Vampires paused after a few feet into the room and rotated, following the trail of water that was slowly making it's way out of the bathroom.

Despite the Vampire scent that barely registered over the blood, they had hoped for a slip up in the shower. Instead he was met with a grizzly sight: a murdered woman. Reminiscent of the girls in the crime photos, her head was hanging off the edge of the tub, throat marred. Except this time the running shower had washed away the spilt blood leaving her open wound the only redness, her pale flesh surrounded by porcelain-all pure and white.

Carlisle crouched down beside the body, Emmett hung back in the doorway. The doctor examined the girl's gorged out throat.

"Completely severed Sternocleidomastoid muscles, the carotid arteries have been completely shredded. Nothing human could possible do this."

"I think someone's coming." Emmett said, he nodded his head towards the east end of the corridor outside.

Carlisle straightened up and removed a small digital camera from his jacket, he snapped a few pictures of the scene before joining Emmett who had relocated to the window. Emmett slid open the window at the bottom and crawled out, Carlisle followed stowing the camera back in his jacket.

They scaled up the outside of hotel, keeping as much in the shadows as possible and away from the other guests' windows. However, flood lights had been positioned to light up the side of the hotel facing the strip, making the vampires two gray dots moving hurriedly up the hotel. Once reaching their window, Carlisle knocked on the glass and soon a shocked Rosalie opened in letting he and Emmett crawl in.

"What were you thinking?" Esme asked as they entered the outer room. "What exactly is wrong with the stairs?"

"Change of plans." Carlisle explained.

"What's the verdict?" Rosalie asked. "Is it another one."

Carlisle nodded.

"Should we call the police?" Bella asked from the table where the remains of a card game lay. "Technically we discovered the body."

Carlisle frowned, "I think it's only a matter…"

The Vampires' ears perked up as a scream reverberated up the hotel.

"I think it's been discovered."

* * *

TBC

* * *

Reviews would be awesome! But it's not like I'm begging... 

okay I'm begging.


	5. Junket

A/N: I came home from Cloverfield to find that my setting was on fire. Someone set my setting ON FIRE! Of ALL the hotels in Vegas, the Monte Carlo had to be the one to be friggin on fire. God hates me…Oh, but I did write this BEFORE the fire, coincidentally enough. Horror at the Monte Carlo, maybe I'm psychic?

* * *

**Chapter 5: Junket**

* * *

Why, oh why, do you wear sunglasses in the home  
when the sun went down about an hour ago?  
Why, oh why, do you wear sunglasses in the home  
when the sun went down about an hour ago?  
Life should not be that way.

Always up or down, never down and out.  
Dream of demons while you sleep that make you stutter when you speak.  
Always up or down, never down and out.  
Dream of demons while you sleep that make you stutter when you speak.  
Speak now or forever hold your peace in pieces.

"_Down And Out_" by The Academy is…

* * *

"But you look so good in them, Jazz!"

"I can't see anything."

"Try these," Alice removed the blackout sunglasses and replaced them with a pair of _Gold & Wood_ shades.

"Now everything's purple."

"Deal."

"Why do we need sunglasses anyway? We don't go out in the sunlight."

Alice rolled her eyes looking exasperated.

"Can you take them off now?" Jasper indicated his hands which were laden with shopping bags, preventing him from removing them himself.

"Nope," she winked, "I like them."

Jasper followed his wife with sigh as she paid the clerk –a nametag identified her as Chrissy– for the purple sunglasses and her four pairs of _Oakley_s in various hues. A commotion from the lobby caused the three to spin around.

"I need all units and security personal to the fourteenth floor, two suspects are reported to be heading up to the penthouse. Search every room, staircase, elevator, everywhere!" A balding man with a bullet-proof vest over a white dress shirt and brown slacks was shouting into a megaphone. A portion of the small army of security guards and police dispersed towards the elevators and stairwell. The man turned towards the casino and shops and bellowed once more into the megaphone. "If we could have everyone please remain calm and stay where they are. We have a situation, please remain where you are until we secure the building."

"Oh my god!" Alice and Jasper turned to see the clerk, Chrissy, shrieking into a lime-green cell phone. "Linds, you won't believe it, the cops are here and everything!" She paused, presumably as the person on the other line spoke. "Shut up! No way, right outside?"

Jasper carefully sat down his armload of bags and packages and removed his shades. "Excuse me, young lady," The girl covered the receiver with her fingers and turned to Jasper. "What exactly is _right outside_?"

"Just, like, every major news network! I bet if I time it right I'll get on TV." She began to eye the nearest exit eagerly.

"Why?" Alice asked.

"Just a sec," The clerk returned to her phone call. "What the hell is going on anyway?…Uh-Huh…Shut up! They think their still in the building?"

"Who?" Jasper and Alice demanded.

"I don't know." The girl dragged out the last word as if there was a "duh" attached. "Two guys were seen scaling up the building and –get this- there's been a murder! They think it's the actual Werewolf Killer." She squealed as if Justin Timberlake had been the topic of conversation and not a grizzly serial murder.

"WHAT?"

"I know, right?" The girl said excited by the press circus waiting outside and the coverage that was soon to follow. She seemed unfazed by Alice and Jasper's apparent horror and turned back to gush over the event with her caller, ignoring her customers altogether.

Finally Jasper spoke, "The youth of today are so desensitized against violence."

Alice had closed her eyes and was completely still. Jasper, meanwhile, took in the lobby from their position at the counter. A few police officers paced back and forth jabbering into walkie-talkies about positions and floors. Two men, the one who had shouted instructions to the crowd and another holding a metal flight-case, were talking to who Jasper believed to be the manager clad in a dark navy sport jacket. A group of Officers and Crime Scene Technicians watched and listened.

He turned to Alice and saw she was back to herself, "What do you got?" he asked.

"Not much. Everything's based on chance. Those two cops." She pointed out a man and a woman in a crowd of cops and technicians headed towards a set of elevators. "Are going to chase down a suspect, and Emmett's going to help."

"That's it?" He said, desperately.

"These situations are very unpredictable." The pixie glared at him and took out her cell ending the conversations. "What's going on?" She spoke into the receiver.

"We've got another victim, it's the same vampire." Jasper picked up Carlisle's voice coming out of Alice's phone. "Emmett and I went to go investigate, we were almost caught."

Jasper's eyes' widen. "Did you by any chance go out the window?"

"Yes. Oh, don't tell me…"

"Yep, more bad luck: you were seen." Alice informed him. "They've sent up the whole calvary to search the place for two suspicious figures."

Jasper groaned, two of their family had been seen scaling up the side of the Monte Carlo. _That's just great, _He thought

"They're having everyone remain where they are," Alice continued. "Where else would they put all these people, I guess…"

"If they do decide to evacuate the civilians we'll meet you by the cars."

"Alright."

"Until then," Carlisle instructed, "Keep a low profile."

O0O0O0O0O

"So you were spotted?" Rosalie asked, coming up to stand next to Emmett as Carlisle hung up the phone.

"Yes, they're searching the building…"

He was cut off as an announcement could be heard ringing through the halls on the Hotel's rarely used intercom.

"_If we could ask all guest to please remain in their rooms until further notice, all other personal please report to the lobby, thank you._"

"Were under lockdown, now? Great." Edward muttered moving to pace along in-between the sofa and coffee table.

Everyone else turned towards the front door as Alice and Jasper entered carrying bags and boxes bearing in their pale arms.

"What happened to a low profile?" Esme asked.

"We took the stairs." Jasper explained.

"Backtracked through the lobby, cops haven't quite organized themselves yet in all the chaos. It was all too easy." Alice declared with a smirk as she stowed her purchases onto one of the plush chairs beside the sofa.

"Dude," Emmett said coming up to Jasper, "What's with the glasses?" Jasper hasty removed the glasses Alice had bought him and demanded put back on. "You look like Ozzy Osbourne."

"Okay," Rosalie interrupted loudly. "Back to the matter at hand, people. How much do the humans know, exactly?"

"For starters they have this to work with…" Carlisle took out his camera and flashed Rosalie, Jasper and Alice the pictures of the crime scene, he scrolled through the few shots that displayed the woman's managed throat.

"They've had the other bodies to work with," Esme pointed out. "I'm more worried about you two's little show up the side of the hotel." She chided Emmett and Carlisle.

"Well, the Police know." Jasper said. "They're searching the building for you both as we speak."

"_I'm here standing outside the Monte Carlo where not twenty minutes ago witnesses reported seeing two men scaling up the walls of the hotel._" The group spun around to see that Bella had turned on the room's television, which was now showing a woman with close-cropped blond hair speaking into a microphone outside their very hotel. "Never underestimate the media." Bella told them.

The reporter continued, "_Later, sources inform us, a woman was discovered brutally murdered in her hotel room by housekeeping._ _Police responded and are now searching the area for those two potential suspects. No word on the woman's identity or cause of death_."

"_Thank you, Mary_," The screen switched to show a brunette in a newsroom_. "We'll be back to check in with you as this story unfolds_."

The news changed to a different story and Bella muted the television.

"Not good." Emmett said.

"At least they haven't connected it to the serial yet." Esme pointed out.

"Not so," Jasper informed his family. "The clerk at _Lunettes_, the eyewear store, said her friend told her the news sources were suspicious that it might be connected." 

"Really not good." Emmett said. 

"Okay, okay, okay…" Carlisle closed his eyes and rubbed his palms together as if trying to warm them. "Time for some damage control." He turned to Edward. "You and Bella said you didn't see anything." 

"Just a lot of bloody water, I carried Bella down the hall and we came straight back here." 

"You sure you didn't leave any trace behind? Cases as highly publicized as these will be gone over with a fine-toothed comb."

"Oh no." Edward gasped and looked down at his bear feet.

"You left your shoes behind?" Rosalie cried in disbelief. "Edward! Those were specially made designer orthopedic Dr. Scholes!"

"They might be able to trace those." Carlisle speculated.

"Not a smart move, Bro," Emmett said, shaking his head.

"They were covered in blood! I couldn't leave a trail of her blood leading here!"

"Well, just go back and get them," Esme said passing him a plastic bag form the kitchenette. "Where did you leave them anyway?"

O0O0O0O0O

So that's how Edward found himself in an elevator shaft. Secure in the knowledge that no harm would come from Bella with Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Jasper, Alice and even Rosalie around, he'd left to retrieve his socks and shoes.

Although Edward doubted anyone would thing to look on top of an elevator for clues, in situations as delicate as these it was better to be safe than sorry.

Half way down the shaft the elevator box began to ascend, Edward could hear the voices and thoughts of the two passengers insides

Almost to 20th floor…Come on, come on… 

"I found some fibers. Damn, there's got to he thousands of prints over here."

_Oh no, police, _thought Edward, he swore silently.

_Is that blood?_

"Sara, have you ever seen Silence of the Lambs"

"Shit." _If that's Hannibal up there I so quit._

Edward landed silently on the elevator and grabbed his shoes into which his socks were stuffed. He swirled the blood around to loose the pattern the thread of his shoes had left behind.

"Anyone up there?!"

"Give me a boost."

"There's no way you're going up there."

"I can reach the hatch…"

A ding sounded.

Shit, if that's just nothing and we loose this guy…"Come on, we've got a live one to catch." 

After the two police officers got off the lift and after hiding his shoes in a bag up in the ventilation with the intent on burning it on the first chance, Edward escaped back up the shaft.

O0O0O0O0O

"Dang." Emmett said from kitchenette, "We're outta ice. I was meaning to get more after we checked out the corpse."

"Why do you need ice?" Bella asked from the sofa.

"I like my blood cold. Like, _really _cold but I draw the line with blood popsicles."

"I can't believe you drink yours cold, I have to heat mine up." Edward said from where he and Bella lay on the sofa together, referring to the extra stores of animal blood the vampires had brought with them on their trip. The hunting opportunities the desert offered were limited. There was the odd coyote on the outskirts, though.

Emmett brought out a thawed bottle of blood from the fridge and took a swing.

"Don't do that in front of Bella!"

"Bella does this freak you out?"

"Not really."

"Nah, not cold enough." He but the blood back in the fridge and in turn removed the plastic ice bucket from the freezer intent on departing for the nearest ice machine.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Edward said. "This place is crawling with cops."

"I'll be quick," Emmett gave an evil grin, the blood still clinging to the edges of his teeth.

"If you want to risk our species' secret for a bucket of ice…"

"Fine. I'll wait."

"That's a bad idea," Alice informed them from the corner.

"Why?" Emmett asked.

"If you're not on the 20th floor in 5 minutes a woman will die."

* * *

TBC

* * *

Please review? Pretty please? With Vanilla Fudge ice cream on top? 


	6. Suspicious

**A/N:** I just wanted to thank everyone dearly who left reviews! I wouldn't be writing this if it weren't for you guys' awesome feedback!

**WARNING:** too many "S" names in this chapter. Colorful language warning. Oh, and there might be an experiment involving a giant piece of ham. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** Twilight is not mine. Neither is CSI, the Pirates of the Caribbean, Wheel of Fortune, Andre's French restaurant, James Bond, or any of the works of Dr. Seuss.

* * *

Chapter 6: SuSpiciouS

* * *

_Brother it don't matter  
Sister don't worry  
Say what you like  
I'll do what you want me to do  
You're a vampire  
I'm a vampire too  
You're a vampire  
I'm a vampire too_

-"Vampires" by Pet Shop Boys (good song, I like to loop it)

* * *

The brunette races down the hallway, her long legs should put speed in her favor, but large, damp boots weigh down her feet. So she shucks them off haphazardly and passes the man she's been running beside, gaining speed. She's lost time by stopping to remove her boots and it costs her, she looses sight of her target, a scrawny young man clad in dark clothes. She rounds a corner and finds the passage ends with two doors labeled 2041 and 2042 with a plain gray one between them. She throws it open and darts into the stairwell. But the predator becomes the prey; the man seems to have been waiting for his pursuers to open the door and land in his trap. In a flash he rams into her side, gun flying out of her hand. The woman crashes into the wall and tumbles down the stairs with a scream, by the time her body crashes through the window and plummets to the crowd below, it is silent. 

O0O0O0O0O

"What? What do you mean someone will die if I'm not on the 20th floor!" Emmett spazzed.

"Earlier I saw you grabbing a man as two investigators were chasing him down. You grabbed him outside room 2023." Alice explained approaching Emmett. "Now that you've changed your mind, you've changed her fate."

"That's a lot of pressure!"

"So?" Bella said. "Go!"

"But…"

"Now!"

Emmett grabbed the ice bucket and tore out of the room.

O0O0O0O0O

"This is getting out of hand."

Carlisle looked up from his laptop to see Esme staring out the window as she removed from it the dirt and drywall dust left behind when he and Emmett had climbed through after investigating the latest crime scene. A few flecks were stirred up by the motion and fluttered slowly towards the floor to be lost in the beige carpet.

"I agree," He said, closing the computer, "but we're in this for the long run."

"I want to help catch this…monster, yet, this is really too dangerous for Bella." Although she disagreed with Carlisle on the matter of Bella remaining in Vegas, her voice held no anger. "Maybe we should tell Edward to take her out of the city or just right back to Forks."

"I thought about that too. However, I wonder if it would do more harm than good."

"The Police will find it suspicious." She sighed as she turned and proceeded to the bathroom, cloth in hand.

"Yes," Carlisle said firmly. He was glad they agreed, although it was a rare occasion that they didn't. "Bella and Edward discovered the first body and the next shows up in the same hotel we're staying at? It doesn't look good."

Esme returned from the bathroom with the cloth dampened and went back to the window to continue to clean. She said, "even if they do put her on the Most Wanted List we can hide her."

"From the cops, yes, but from the Volturi?"

Carlisle could see his bluntness had diminished her optimism. Esme frowned, as she ran the damp cloth along the side of the wall, her russet eyes scanning the crowd below. After a moment she said, "if she stays, do you think we can stop the rogue _and _close the case?"

"I'm confident that my contact will do everything he can to make sure this whole thing is kept under wraps." Their informant had assured Carlisle over the phone that he was aware of the magnitude of the situation and that he would do everything in his power to keep the word "vampire" as far away from the investigation as possible.

"But what can he do, Carlisle? If the killings stop and the one responsible falls off the face of the earth we can't really expect everyone to take his word for it, that it's been taken care of and they can all stop looking."

"What choice to we have?" Carlisle asked, wearily, his voice betraying his mental fatigue.

"Do you really think that with just one inside man this whole thing can be hushed up?"

"Best case scenario: my source feeds us enough evidence to catch the rogue, the killings stop and the case goes cold."

"This vampire's loving the spotlight and the media's loving the story, are you sure your _source_ has enough influence to keep people from looking towards us?" Esme said, turning around.

"I've told you his position, they'll believe anything he tells them – within reason. If you don't believe me, you'll just have to meet him."

"I thought we decided to turn down Albert's invitation." They both glanced at the envelope containing the party invite which was sitting on the room's desk. "I thought you wanted to keep this strictly through fax and email."

"Well…I wasn't planning to go but, I think, given the situation, making our presence know at this event might be the best course of action. I was thinking just Edward, Bella, you and I. The others won't mind sitting this one out and it's best we don't show up the size of a small army. It's a little intimidating."

"Carlisle, I think we're past _intimidating_."

"We'll fool them, then."

"So we show up to a party-" Esme said slowly, walking towards Carlisle as she walked though the plan, "-swarming with cops and play nice and we'll pass as respectable citizens and not conspiring serial killers. "

"That's the idea," Carlisle said, dryly, as he stood up to meet her halfway.

"Hmmm…well, in that case," She said placing her hands on his chest, the corner of her lips curling upwards. "I'll dust off my cocktail dress."

Carlisle raised his hand to gently caress the side of her face. She leaned into his touch and gave him a wicked smile.

"Dust," he explained, "from the plaster."

Esme didn't believe him.

O0O0O0O0O

Emmett tried not to leave a dent, he really did, but a small one formed nonetheless in the wall that he checked the man into. Emmett would place him in his mid-thirties with a shallow complexion, five o'clock shadow and a now very sore left arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" The man whined from the corner he was situated in. Both investigators, their vests identifying the man as "Stokes" and the woman as "Sidle", had their guns pointed at the unruly suspect.

"Hey man," Emmett responded in mock seriousness. "There's a werewolf on the loose, I'm not taking an chances." He brandished his still-empty ice container at the man.

"Do I look like a fuckin' werewolf to you, pretty-boy?" he yelled at Emmett.

"Hey," Stokes said turning the man's attention to himself as Sidle finished up a conversation on her cell phone requesting someone come and arrest their foul-mouthed rebel. "If you're not a mythological creature, got a name?"

"Smith."

"Original. Okay, Smith, if you're not who we're looking for, then why'd you run for it?"

"You scared me s'all."

"How is two people saying "excuse me, sir" scary?"

"It wasn't like that and you know it, pretty-boy!" Smith bellowed. He looked back and forth between the impending and muscular figures of Emmett and Stokes then added, "I'm surrounded by fuckin' pretty-boys!" Of course, then Smith remembered Sidle and his manners. "'Cept you, sweetheart, you're just pretty."

Sidle merely kept her indifferent stare and gun fixed on Smith.

"No love…" Smith sighed.

"Listen, _Smith_, you still haven't answered my ques-"

"So what if I ran? What are you going to do..." He stood up, getting ready to make his exit. "Shoot me?"

"I won't," Stokes said, "But she might."

Smith took a good look at Sidle's semiautomatic and opted to sit back down silently and nurse his injured arm.

Stokes left Smith under the watchful eye of Sidle and turned to address Emmett, "Hey thanks for taking him down, idiot had a pretty good head start on us."

"No problem, just doing my civic duty," Emmett rubbed his shoulder as if the earlier impact had bothered him. "Now, if you don't mind, my wife will worry if I'm not back."

If Stokes, Sidle or Smith were startled by his young marriage, they didn't show it. This was Vegas after all. Stokes shook Emmett's hand. "Well good luck, Mr….?

"Cullen. Emmett Cullen." He supplied before he departed towards the elevators. (A/N: James Bond reference by request of xbitemex)

O0O0O0O0O

"Are you sure you didn't see anything?" Detective Brass repeated.

"No, we were enjoying a quiet night in." Carlisle gestured to the TV, which was in the middle of displaying an episode of _Wheel of Fortune_.

"All clear." An officer emerged from inspecting the other room for murderers. When the Police had shown up at the hotel door, the Cullens had ushered them in immediately to show they had nothing to hide. Of course, they doubted the Police would even _believe _the secrets they kept.

Brass nodded and glanced at his notes. "Where were you and your family at midnight?"

"My wife and I were here, as were Emmett and Rosalie. Bella and Edward had gone out, Jasper and Alice were downstairs shopping."

"Can anyone verify that?"

"I'm sure one member from each pair will verify for the other member's whereabouts. If that's not enough I'm sure some of the other hotel employees will probably remember seeing them."

"I see." The Detective added a few more notes to his pad. "And none of you saw _anything, _nothing suspicious?"

"Nothing suspicious."

The Detective's wary eyes swept over the vampires and Bella, as if hoping his skeptical stare might cause one of them to snap and confess to the crime. Out of questions, he nodded and left.

"Well that was rude," Emmett said. "I thought he came to give me an award of commendation for assisting in the apprehension of a dangerous criminal."

"We're suspects in a string of serial murders." Edwards said. "I don't think they're quite ready to give you key to the city just yet."

"Time to get to work." Carlisle interrupted, he withdrew the digital camera from his jacket pocket and made his way over to the laptop on the counter. He plugged the USB cord into the camera and soon a window popped up displaying the photos it contained. Carlisle opened one of the close-up shots of the latest victim with an editing program.

"What are you doing?" Rosalie asked, coming up behind him.

"Taking a closure look." Carlisle explained. "There's something off about these bite marks."

"How can you tell?" Bella asked, careful not to look at the gruesome pictures on the computer screen.

"Can't be sure…" Carlisle trailed off. He turned away from the computer, his eyes scanning the room in thought.

"Aaaa…Carlisle, you seriously want to do an experiment? Now?" Edward said, reading his father's thoughts.

"Yes. All I need is about ten pounds of meat…"

"I'll go hit up one of the kitchens." Emmett volunteered, referring to the kitchens of the many restaurants the Monte Carlo Resort hosted as well as its own personal one for room service. He departed out the door and headed at Vampire speed towards the staircase.

As he left, Rosalie's eyes shifted over to Bella's position on the sofa.

"Rosalie!" Edward yelled.

"What? I didn't say anything…"

"No, but you were thinking it."

"What?" Bella frowned.

"Well, my dear sister here seems to think that-"

"I was just joking! Do you think I would volunteer one of Bella's legs for an experiment just because she's the only human in the room?"

"I wouldn't put it past you." Edward said through gritted teeth.

"Children." Esme chided as she and Carlisle spread out an assortment of plastic bags over a section of the table.

"I'm back!" Emmett announced his return, he proudly held up a bunched up sheet of plastic.

"Were you seen?" Rosalie asked, folding her arms. "Because the last time…"

"I was careful." Emmett assured her, dropping the meat onto the table. "Check it out." He unwrapped a giant raw ham. "Prosciutto Ham courtesy of Andre's."

"Wow." Bella stared at the giant hunk of dead farm animal. "Anybody got any green eggs?"

"Ah, Bella."

"Yes, Edward?"

"You might not want to be here for this."

"It's just a ham, Edward. I'm sure I can handle it."

"Okay," Carlisle declared. "Who's hungry?"

Emmett began jumping up and down, his hand raised in the air. "Me! Me! Me!" He declared like a kindergartner demanding to be allowed to pass out the crayons.

"You're up, Emmett." Carlisle stated, stepping aside, letting his pseudo-son take his position in front of the doomed ham.

Edward tried to cover Bella's eyes, she batted them away.

On cue, Emmett began to rip apart the unfortunate ham like a rabid dog. Bits of the meat flew off like wood out of a chipper, the Cullens backed away, Bella frowned.

Emmett was almost a blur as he devoured the ham, tearing it apart at a supernatural-pace. When he had finally defeated the ham, a crevice remained like the wound in the victim's neck.

"Excellent." Carlisle declared. He brought over the laptop displaying the close-up of the murdered woman's neck. "Look at the two wounds, they're different. Whoever killed this woman did it slowly."

"Why?" Edward asked. "He would have to have exceptional control to withstand his natural bloodlust enough to take his time with her."

"Maybe something slowed him down." Jasper said, staring intently at the screen.

"Like what?" Edward asked.

"Check it out right at the top." Jasper said, he zoomed in even further on a particular gash at the top of the wound, he pressed a few buttons and the image sharpened. He stepped back to let the others see. "The indentations from his teeth, they're not uniform. He bit her here and his top row of teeth left this specific incision. As you can see, his incisors are significantly more protruding, compared to Emmett's."

"Are you seriously saying what I think your saying?" Alice gasped, her eyes bulging. "That the guy were dealing with has fangs!" she bared her own teeth adding her two index fingers onto of her incisors.

"Without dental molds it will be impossible to tell." Jasper informed her.

"Maybe were dealing with a canine after all." Bella suggested.

"That doesn't explain the Vampire smell." Edward said, his brow furrowed.

"A Vampire with a dog?" Bella suggested halfheartedly.

Edward sighed. "Now you're grasping at straws."

"Well, once the authorities start processing the body I'll get my contact to send me the report on the dental impressions." Carlisle assured them.

"In the mean time, are we just going to stay here?" Alice asked, indicting the sieged hotel around them.

"Yeah," Rosalie agreed, "its kind of hard to keep a low profile with a bunch of suspicious cops snooping around a few floors below our feet. How are we suppose to solve these murders for them?"

"I think this is the perfect opportunity for a change in scenery." Carlisle said, a ghost of a grin crossed his face.

"We're leaving Vegas?" Edward asked hopefully.

Carlisle withdrew a white embellished envelope from the inside of his jacket. "Not exactly."

* * *

TBC

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, so this story is giving me issues so it probably will be a while before I update, BUT not too long, so don't give up on me. I'm trying right now to plan out the next few chapters of this fic as well as the first four chapters of the CSI version of this story, which will be told from the CSIs point of view. If you guys like CSI fics maybe you could keep an eye out for that. I can't wait to start writing Grissom and Carlisle's conversations… 


	7. Hypothetical

**A/N: I attempted fluff. God help us. I know, can't I just choose _one_ of my personalities to write this? The answer would be no.**

**A/N2: Also, I would like to take the opportunity to thank Aspen (penname: Soul of Aspen, I assume you are all reading her stuff, if not you should be) for taking the time to pay attention to my random outburst of frustration at this story and for answering all my random notes asking her opinion on my endless random and usually pointless plot devices. (And for also betaing this chapter) Thank you so much, girl!**

**A/N3: I didn't update, partially because I was super busy and had good reason to prioritize, partially because I suck. Bring on the hate.**

* * *

Chapter 7: Hypothetical

* * *

The cameras blind your eye  
Here's the big surprise:  
Flash never lasts  
You've gotta pay your way back in

'Cause who you are, what you say  
You're just a boy who's afraid of the dark  
What you've got means shit to me  
I'm not impressed by the dress  
And the sex that you bought

Bright city lights  
And big, big city nights  
Here the hand that feeds you bites you dear  
Fear not

- _Pop-Punk Is Sooooo '05 Lyrics_, Cobra Starship

* * *

"Alice, these shoes are insane!"

"Don't be silly, Bella, they're fabulous! I don't know what you have against shoes…"

"Shoes are fine. Torture devices, however…."

"Shush. They're perfect!"

"You can't expect me to walk down the aisle in these!" That's just what she wanted, to fall flat on her face on her wedding day. She could picture it: her clumsy self sprawled out in the middle of the chapel, the cursed shoes the highest part of her, swinging loosely on her still swaying feet.

"Oh, don't worry you'll have plenty of time to break them in."

"When?" Bella asked, fearing Alice would force her to walk sets up and down the halls of the Bellagio. She didn't need to have her friend's powers to foresee blisters in her future.

Alice gave Bella and evil smile as she finished fastening the complicated straps of the white stilettos for her.

"Seriously?" Bella asked, rhetorically, before continuing. "Carlisle only had one invitation, I assumed just he and Esme would go."

"Doctor Robbins knows Carlisle has a large family and the invite didn't specify a guest limit."

As Alice bounced off to find other footwear options in the gigantic store Bella contemplated her friend's suggestion.

As far the Monte Carlo went; nothing clears a room faster than a murder, a serial murder even faster still. Furthermore, a section of the hotel was being cleared of guest so workers could get started at pumping out the water that had had free reign over said section around the crime scene. And even after the police were done with the floor, industrial fans would have to be brought in to dry the area in an attempt to salvage it.

This meant almost the entirety of the hotel's guests were clearing out. And all the Cullens agreed, given their situation, that they should be among those guests.

On the question of where, Carlisle had then pulled out a mysterious envelope and proceeded to tell them about an invitation he'd received to join an old friend

Carlisle took the immediate action of booking four adjacent rooms at the Bellagio. Normally, getting preferred rooms wasn't totally impossible with a hotel that size, but due to the fact that many of the Monte Carlo's guests had fled to the other resorts on the strip, a little bribery was required.

The reason for choosing the Bellagio over the other resorts and upscale hotels was revealed when Carlisle confessed the contents of the mysterious white envelope he'd flourished before them after The Ham Experiment. The envelope contained, he explained, an invitation to his old friend's, Doctor Robbin's 50th wedding Anniversary.

And this party was the perfect opportunity, in Alice's opinion, to break in some fierce high heels.

As that very shoe fiend now returned with three more boxes, Bella decided to take to take her first steps in the stilettos.

She wobbled like a foal taking it's first steps, her knees quaking and her hands flailing as she tried to remain vertical at her newly attained height. She managed to move half a yard before she shifted her weight the wrong way and fall straight forward, feet dangling in the air above her.

"Ooof."

"Oh, Bella, they're perfect." Alice leaned forward to inspect the shoes, Bella pushed herself up onto her forearms.

"Yeah," she deadpanned, "let's go with the shoes that I tripped in just four steps. They certainly are an improvment over the ones that took only three..."

"Oh, you'll get use to them."

Bella groaned and slumped forward, letting her forehead rest against the carpeted floor.

"I'm doomed…."

o0o0o0o0o0o

They made it to their next stop in less than 15 minutes. Time to find a dress for the party. Bella contemplated feigning illness but sensed Alice would see right through her charade. She might as well grin and bear it, Alice at lease seemed to be having fun as she danced off into the maze of displays and tables of sweaters. Bella began to slowly pick though a rack of simple enough looking shirts. Hopefully she could find herself a decently priced shirt and skirt combination that would be formal enough to avoid some vicious complicated gown Alice would no doubt try and force her into.

She found an olive green blouse and held it up in front of her, she liked the style but a nearby mirror testified that the shade clashed with her skin tone.

"If you think you're buying that skirt, Maryann…" Bella heard a woman say in a raised voice.

"But Mom…all the girls are wearing them!" A shrill little voice wined.

"No, it's WAY to short!"

"This is how you wear them! This isn't back when you were young Mom, women are allowed to show their ankles these days!"

Bella slowly glided over to the formal wear section, away from the argument.

She eyed a selection of dress pants that were on the edge; slowly easing into a section devoted to business suits. Maybe she could maintain her balance better if she didn't have to worry about a giant skirt billowing around her feet. Yes, pants were definitely less hazardous.

"Let's just say _hypothetically_ you were dating someone in the department." A woman's voice carried over to Bella's ears from the otherside of a rack.

"Why…?" Another woman responded in a low voice

"Humor me." The first woman paused for a moment. "And let's just say, hypothetically, that you were dating someone from work. Would you go together?

"Hypothetically..."

Bella moseyed back over to the tops, maybe she could find a nice top to start with. She was careful to avoid anything sequins, she'd almost been blinded by a neon tube top in her last store, she couldn't phantom why anyone would want to emulate a radioactive pylon. She began to flip through a collection of blue ones, Edward always said he liked blue…

"Boo!"

"Ahhhhhhh!" Bella screamed as a mass of blue sequins flew out at her, she tripped over her own feet and landed on the ground.

"Bella!" Alice appeared out of nowhere and was at her side helping her up in a flash. "Are you okay!"

"Harold! HAROLD!" A woman in her mid thirties came running around the rack of clothes, an oversized green handbag swinging from her arm.

A little boy emerged from the rack of clothes, his mother plucked a heinous blue sweater off his face.

"Harold, there you are!"

"Mommy, I scare the lady!"

Alice gave Bella an amused look before dragging her future sister-in-law off to the dress section.

"I found some great options for the party!"

"I don't know…" Bella drawled, desperately thinking of ways to avoid said party. "I think Edward and I were planning to just stay in tomorrow night."

"This is Vegas." Alice countered, they arrived at a scattered pile of dresses and she began to gather them a lightening speed. "No one _stays in_ on a Saturday night."

"Well we are getting married in a matter of days…" Bella trailed off and her eyes grew wide.

"Now, now, no worrying about that." Alice had been witness to Bella's steadily rising anxiety level as the wedding drew nearer.

"I'm getting married in two days, Alice!"

"I know."

"I'm getting married in two days." She said slowly as if realizing it for the first time.

"Yes you are." Alice concurred calmly. "It's going to be okay."

"I just can't believe my wedding's in two days!" Bella dug her fingers into her hair and began to pace back and forth in the store. "With this whole murder spree I completely lost track of time! What am I going to do?"

"Don't worry Bella, all you have to do is show up." Alice reassured her. "I've got everything covered."

"When?" Bella was shocked, "where was I?"

"Sleeping."

"Ah." She quipped, nodding, and seeming to calm down.

"Now, come on," She nodded towards the dressing rooms. "Let's find you something to wear."

o0o0o0o0o0o

The night had been a success. Alice had calmed Bella down and together they had tracked down a cocktail dress for Bella to wear. The dress was made of a soft cerulean material with a comfortable fitted bodice and a following skirt that fell to the knee.

After Alice had successfully forced several pairs of high heels into Bella's possession they deemed it a successful day of shopping and caught a taxi back to the Bellagio.

When they got there, they stepped out of their taxi, bags in hand, to find another fountain water-show underway. Bella felt her feet get wet just looking at the fountain, remembering her impromptu sprint through the one in Volterra few months ago.

"How often do they have these things, Alice?" Bella asked, when she received no answer she turned around and found her immediate surroundings Cullen-less.

That was strange. Bella swore she was behind her a minute ago. She sat her shopping bags between her feet and fished out her cell. But before she could dial she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Hello, stranger."

She turned about to see Edward behind her, his radiant beauty and cool manner making him stand out among the jostling crowd surrounding them. His lips curved up into a mischievous grin as he approached her.

"Enjoying the show?" He asked.

"It's alright, but fails to hold my interest."

"I find that hard to believe, Miss." He said with a mock-frowned. "How could anything seem more thrilling than a night out in Vegas?"

"I don't know, everything seems rather tame compared to my fiancée." She informed him in an artificially bored tone and pretended to stare at the water display as if it really was terribly dull.

"So someone's snatched you up? Tell me about him. That is, if you don't mind."

"Well, he's tall." Bella said, bluntly, turning to face him.

Edward frowned. "Is that all?"

"Hmm….well, he gets grumpy when he's hungry, he's very stubborn and very dangerous." She said whimsically, running a finger along the center and around the buttons of Edward's shirt.

"Dangerous? That doesn't sound good. Are you sure you want to marry him?"

Bella knew they were just teasing each other, but she thought she heard uncertainty lurking beneath her fiancée's playful tone.

"Yes," she said, firmly. "I know he thinks he's dangerous, but I also know he'd never hurt me."

"So if you're going to soon run away with this dangerous being, then you better kiss me now."

"Hmmmm…" She pretended to consider it for a moment. "I believe that can be arranged…"

Bella closed her eyes and waited, but nothing happened. After a few seconds, she popped one eye open, expecting to see Edward's teasing grin. However, her Vampire lover was no where in sight. Blinking, she began to scan the crowd of tourists.

"Edward?" She yelled, trying to make her voice carry above the music and admiring crowd. "Edward?" She hoped this was just part of their little game, but he was nowhere to be found.

Bella began to fight her way through the thinking crowd towards the hotel, calling Edward's name.

o0o0o0o0o0o

Edward was just about to kiss her, he really was. But it's kind of hard to kiss someone with a bag over your head.

At least that's what he thought was going on. Right, yes, he'd been leaning in the kiss Bella when everything had gone dark and something had been pulled over his head.

He wondered, for a few seconds, if he was being kidnapped by the Volturi and was instantly worried for Bella. But then he picked up on his captors' scent and knew they were both safe.

But define "safe". Because, as the night progressed Edward began to wish, rather, that he _was_ being shanghaied by angry Italian vampires.

TBC

* * *

**P.S. Thank you to _Cyberchao X, valalight, PearlAngel16, Cullen's the name. Dani Cullen, Ine-sama, MidnightxRed, euphoria falls, luv2beloved, geegee6, Soul Of Aspen, Teh Soul Cookie, _and _Beboots_ who all took the time to review my last chap! Love and cookies for you all! :D**


	8. Aesthetic

A/N: Hey guys, sorry, as always, for the long waits, but a lot has been going on in my life (including working full time fora first) so I haven't had much of spare time on my hands. I've also been brooding over this chapter for a while, but here it is.

* * *

Chapter 8: Aesthetic

* * *

You gotta help me out  
It's all a blur last night  
We need a taxi 'cause your hung over and I'm broke

I lost my fake ID  
But you lost the motel key  
Spare me your freakin'  
Dirty looks now don't blame me

You wanna cash out  
And get the hell outta town  
Don't be a baby  
Remember what you told me

Shut up and put your money where your mouth is  
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas  
Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes now  
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas

-"Waking Up In Vegas", Katy Perry

* * *

_It was one of those rare rainy nights in Vegas. The strip was less crowded as many tourists retreated to the inside of the warm and dry casinos to gamble away their travel money. Some residents and wanderers, however, seemed to be unperturbed by the heavy rain and walked the streets. _

_One of the residents, a man, was leaning against a brick wall, sheltered by an overhang. He surveyed the Strip through the curtain of water running off the building. He could smell everything on moist days like this, like the endless rainy days in Washington when the burning smell of wet concrete would engulf him, except since then _everything_ smelt a tenth-fold stronger wet. _

_That's why her scent appeared on his radar long before usual. He'd seen her yesterday with her family, but she looked more drowned now. If he didn't recognize her scent, he never would have associated the clean-cut woman from before with this soggy girl who fancied a walk in the rain._

_A couple loose blonde tendrils were escaping from the hood she'd pulled over her head to protect her hair. Beforehand it had been flawless, hours of effort devoted to ironing, brushing and curling, he suspected. But now her tresses were probably getting tangled under the woolen hood of her coat, balling at the base of her neck. Despite her mild attempts to shield her head from the pounding water, her face was damp, massacre smudged under her eyes. _

_Yes, she was a bit of a mess, but compared to the other soaked travelers she was still extremely attractive. Many men walking by, like himself, found their eyes braving the rain to travel from the visible full lips and perfect nose up her clear skin to try catch a glimpse of the rest of her face. Plagued by queries on if her eyes were as perfect as the rest of her appeared. _

_Under her dark coat she wore tight pants and flat shoes, her legs should have been cold through the thin material but the blonde didn't feel anything, she had long gotten use to the cold. _

"_Hey Baby, you wanna party?" Some idiot was trudging up the street behind her. _

_He saw her fists clenched, but she didn't slow her pace. Tough town. Pretty girl walking alone. Night. Not a good combination altogether._

"_Bitch, I'm talking to you."_

_Not quite drunk, he'd had a bit of Vodka, the man against the wall could smell it on his breath as The Idiot perused the girl a dozen feet behind. _

"_What's you're hurry, honey?"_

_Another man had joined The Idiot and all three of them were walking up the wide sidewalk getting closer and closer to him. _

"_Hey, Bitch, where ya' going?"_

_He wondered if,_ before, _he would have jumped forward and risked his neck against the men for the girl. Give her a chance to run? Throw a few punches? What was that country song that they played on the radio? He began to sing in a soft eerily pleasant voice:_

"_And Johnny said take my money, take my wallet, take my credit cards, Here's the watch that my grandpa gave me, Here's the key to my car, Mister give it a whirl, But please don't take the girl…"_

_Before._

_He didn't know if in his previous life he would have done anything, of course back then he wouldn't have smelt her, wouldn't have known that those men had no idea what they were doing. _

_But now, he knew that _this_ girl could take care of herself._

o0o0o0o0o0o

"Alice!"

Bella was surprisingly swift in her journey up to the Cullen's suites. Well, okay, she tripped once, but who left that old lady there, anyway?

"Alice!"

Bella banged with both of her fists on Jasper and Alice's door, the shopping bags she carried slipped down her wrist to gather at her elbows. They knocked into each other as she pounded, adding to the racket.

"Alice! Anyone! Help!"

The door flew open so fast, revealing Alice, that the tiny vampire had to reach out and grasp one of Bella's frantic fists before it made contact with her face.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Alice guided Bella into the suite by her fist and kicked the door softly closed.

"Edward's gone! He was there one minute and we were about to…and then I open my eyes and he was gone! And I called him and he didn't come! He ALWAYS comes when I call!"

"Bella, calm down, it's okay!"

"Okay? What do you mean _okay_! He could be half way to Italy by now?"

Rosalie entered clad in a tight fitting blue shirt and cotton pajama bottoms. "Who's going to Italy, now?"

"Edward!"

"Bella, he's not going to Italy." Alice assured her.

"Why's Edward going to Italy?" Rosalie smirked.

"Not willingly! But he just disappeared!"

"What does Italy have to do with anything?" Rosalie directed her question at Alice.

"Beats me."

"Hello? Edward's missing!"

"Where is he?"

"If I knew that, Rosalie, _he wouldn't be missing!_"

"But I thought he was in Italy?"

"Rose, you know very well he's not in Italy."

"Yes, but I want to know how Italy factors into everything."

"Bella, what's Italy got to do with anything?"

"I just thought that the only people who could make Edward disappear were the Volturi?"

"The Volturi?"

"You think the Volturi took Edward?"

"So, it's not the Volturi?"

"Not exactly…."

o0o0o0o0o0o

Edward's world was suddenly brought into heart-stopping, on a matter of speaking, color. Neon color to be exact. You'd think he would have gotten use to neon after being in Vegas for a few days, but apparently not.

"Glad you could join us, man." Emmett said, his pale features were lit with a devilish a smile and gleaming with the remnants of the drizzle just beginning to pick up outside. In one hand he dangled the black bag that had presumably been covering his brother's head.

"For the love of all that's holy…" Edward groaned as he looked around to confirm his surroundings.

"Oh yeah, man! We're giving you a proper send off into matrimony!"

"And a strip club factors into this how? Oh, hi, Jasper."

"Hey."

"Jacob? I thought I smelt something…."

"Hey!"

"We found him in the street."

"And dragged him to a strip club?"

"He doesn't seem to mind…"

Indeed, Jacob seemed content to look morbid in the back of the booth beside Jasper and stare at his drink.

"Okay…but what about Bella? We didn't just leave her alone in the middle of Vegas?"

"Oh, the girls will take care of her," Emmett assured him, "don't worry. Now, who wants a lap dance?"

o0o0o0o0o0o

"So you're a hundred percent sure he's okay?" Bella asked the umpteenth time as Alice began the second coat of red polish on Bella's toenails.

"Yes, Bella, he's fine. Now, don't worry! This night is all about you!"

"Yeah…" Bella displayed her best awkward smile. She had been mostly un-conversational other than to be constantly reassured of Edward's security. She hadn't not been aware of his relative location since he'd purposely separated himself from her in hopes of her being able to forget about him. Fat chance.

Edward being snatched from right out in front of her had left her obviously rattled. She had been convinced the Volturi had gotten wind of the rouge running around Sin City and had swooped in and plucked her fiancée up to wisk him away for interrogation about the situation…

She mentally shook herself before turning back to the flat screen television which was featuring a showing of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' which Alice had ordered on pay-per-view and deemed appropriate for their impromptu bachelorette party.

"_You're engaged! We never think this would happen for you! Never. _Never. _Taki, didn't we say that…"_

"_We never think this day would come. Never."_

o0o0o0o0o0o

Edward glanced over at Jasper who was staring at the ceiling his eyes scanning the dimly lit tiles. He seemed to be counting them, lengthwise. His mind was mercifully blank expect for the narration of: _…Seventy-eight, seventy-nine, eighty, eighty-one…._

Beside him, Emmett shot occasionally bewildered looks at his brother, shocked anyone could count ceiling tiles at a strip club. He shook his head and turned back to the stage.

Edward heard Emmett growl, _look at the legs on that one. Boy, I could go for some white meat right about now. Hehehe…_

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. It was going to be a long night. He looked up and began to count tiles, widthwise.

60 tiles in, he was broken out of his reverie by Emmett ducking suddenly under the table. From some unseen location he removed a bottle. An extra strobe of light swept over their table and Edward saw it glinted red.

"Oh, no…"

"Come on we're doing shots!"

He began to line up the empty shot glasses on the table, leftover from alcohol long since pointlessly consumed.

Their scantily clad waitress chose that moment to reappear. She looked warily at the bottle in Emmett's hand. As much as leaving would please

him, getting kicked out of a strip club would not deem the night a success.

"Hey," Edward whipped out a bill and gave the girl his best _you-didn't-see-anything_ look.

See, in return, gave him her best _anything-for-you-baby_ look whilst accepting the money.

o0o0o0o0o0o

"Rose, where are you going?"

Bella's head snapped around to see Rosalie by the front door. She'd changed out of her sleepwear and into a sweater and skinny jeans. Bella resisted the urge to glare, Rosalie was the only real person she knew who could pull of skinny jeans. Designers made such pants with the aspiration they could end up paired with those legs.

"Out." Rosalie responded finally, pulling on a black hooded coat. It was unnecessary, she could wander through Antarctica in a bikini and not feel a thing, the coat was just a prop. Or possible a vain attempt to protect her hair.

"Where."

"I'm going for a walk."

Alice gave her a look pointed that plainly spelled out _you-should-be-ashamed-of-yourself-for-bailing-on-her-party _but as soon as Rosalie glanced out the window she needed to be outside in the rain. She loved the rain. It was constant and alive. And when it rained in Vegas: it rained hard, quenching the desert's infinite and unsatisfiable thirst.

TBC


	9. Humans

**A/N: This chapter has been a while coming, hasn't it? I hope a lot of you are still with me. In concerns with this chapter;**** I am aware that the CSIs should be on shift during the party, but lets just forget that for now? Please? No? Fine. Just like **_**every other damn **_**fanfic with a party in it let's just say either swing or day shift decide to trade shifts. Happy? ****And just to catch everyone up: people are dying, there's an evil vampire in Vegas and some of the Cullens are going to a party being hosted by one of Carlisle's old buddies. Go. **

* * *

Chapter 9 – Humans

* * *

The boys who kiss and bite,  
They are the brilliant ones who speak and write with silver luck  
They sing in clever tongues,  
Oh how my knees go weak to be the one

And if I'm given the chance  
To be a doll in his hands  
I will be sure we shake the mountains while we dance

"The Boys Are Too Refined" – The Hush Sound

* * *

"See, you didn't trip."

"I stumbled."

"You're still upright."

"It still counts."

Edward smiled down at Bella as he guided her across the semi-crowded dance floor of one of the Bellagio's ballrooms, careful to avoid bumping in to other perfectly normal looking couples. They were doing a pretty good job, as usual, at blending in. This was possibly due to the absence of the his brothers and sisters who would have no doubt waited an entire 45 seconds before challenging each other to a ballroom dance off…

Bella seemed to read his mind, or at least maybe they were on the same train of thought as he heard her mutter. "Up next on _Dancing With The Vampires…."_

He chuckled as they executed a partially successful spin, "As long as it's not _Dances With Wolves _I think I'm content."

Despite her obvious discomfort at having to participate in coordinated movement, Bella spared him a smile she couldn't hide.

They both turned their heads as Esme's musical laughter carried over the dance floor to them. She and Carlisle were laughing with the host and another man, the two people they had been recently introduced to, or in one case, re-introduced.

"My son, Edward, and his fiancée, Bella," Carlisle had said as Edward had stepped forward to greet an older man leaning on a metal clutch, "This is the man I've been telling you about, Dr. Al Robbins."

It was Dr. Robin's 50th wedding anniversary and he'd sent Carlisle an invitation, a fact Carlisle had only shared with his family a few days ago. Edward made a mental note to probe both men's thoughts to figure out how they'd met.

The group made pleasantries and talked about the weather for a few moments when they were joined by another man who, Edward swore, he saw Dr. Robbins reach into the crowd and extract him with his metal crutch. Edward had felt Bella stiffen beside him, it was one of the CSIs from the crime scene they'd called in a few nights ago.

"Gil, you made it. Carlisle, Esme, this is Dr. Gil Grissom, a friend of mine."

"Oh, you work at the morgue, as well?" Carlisle had asked, innocently.

"No, Gil's the nightshift supervisor at the crime lab." Dr. Robbins had explained. Dr. Grissom had given a nod of acknowledgment. His eyes then rested on Edward and Bella. Dr. Robbins had laughed "at his rudeness" and introduced them both. Dr. Grissom hadn't given any inclination that he had met them before. Only the coroner was oblivious.

"So how do you think this is going so far?" Bella asked, snapping him back to the present.

"Well, Dr. Grissom didn't try to arrest us, so I'd say pretty good."

"I think he was giving you think stink-eye."

"Stink-eye?" Edward frowned.

"I think in his mind he's labeled us 'boy from crime scene' and 'girl who fainted at crime scene.'"

"Close. However, he still knows our names. He doesn't look like he's watching us…but he's keeping tabs. And he's not the only one, look at the man in the fedora, dancing with the brunette three couples from your right. Look familiar?"

Bella looked but turned her head back quickly with a gasp, "I recognize him, that's the guy that took my shoes! S…Saunders, something."

"He's watching us, and I think he's more to contend with then the good doctor over there," Edward informed her as they danced closer and closer to Fedora.

Bella's brow furrowed, "Dr. Grissom's here…this guy's the city's head coroner, think of how many of these people are cops!"

"Quite a few it seems."

She seemed to notice their progression. "Why are we getting closer?"

"I'm staring him down." Edward smirked.

The song switched to something more fast-paced, unfortunately for Bella, and the group slowly began to move in one big circle like skaters on a rink. Edward was aware of he and Bella moving closer towards where his parents stood. Fedora was moving through the crowd, fighting the current, his partner looked confused. He wanted to speak to Bella, his mind was fixated on it and Edward knew the threatening conspirator thoughts that were the route of his queries.

Just as they were approaching near collision, Fedora was contemplating lines for "cutting in" without invoking suspicion, a crash caused everyone to come to an abrupt halt.

It appeared as if one of the large windows along the side wall had exploded sending a rainfall of glass and debris to rain on a fraction of the party guests. Edward already had Bella on the other side of the room before some of the glass reached the floor.

o0o0o0o0o0o

Crouched in the middle of the mess was a man who looked thoroughly out of place, Carlisle thought. He was dressed in an all-black jogging suit with the hood pulled over his face, but two blood-red eyes still managed to peek out from under.

Bella and Edward were on the other side of the room by the main doors. Even though his human companions seemed transfixed by the sight he preferred a silent communication with his son over the option of yelling.

_Him?_

Edward would know the Rogue by his scent after he and Bella stumbled upon one of his kills. Carlisle recognized the scent from when he and Emmett had broken into another crime scene to take photos for their own evidence collection. He wanted Edward's agreement.

Edward nodded.

_Get the others. Get Bella away from here. _

He needed no further encouragement. The couple was gone.

Carlisle and Esme slowly approached the newcomer, as did others. They wondered who the stranger was who had literally crashed their party. But Carlisle and Esme didn't have to wonder, they knew.

But he was too close and the hooded Vampire hissed, causing several people to scream. In a flash he was on top of one of the tables, still crouched like an animal.

"Gil," A blonde woman joined their group, she grabbed the sleeve of Dr. Grissom's jacket. She said nothing more as they both watched the Rogue.

Carlisle continued to approach the Vampire putting himself between the Rogue and the helpless humans. Some of the party guests backtracked out the emergency exits and main doorways sensing they should move as far away from the creature as possible. Other members of the crowd remained to investigate.

"I want her. I'll get her." Sneered the Rogue. He spoke in a low voice, barely audible to even the closest humans, but Carlisle's acute hearing picked up even the taunting tone.

"Who?" Carlisle demanded in a hiss.

The Rogue's eye's locked onto the group of remaining humans. Carlisle and Esme spun around as the Rogue lunged.

Carlisle moved forward to stop him, matching his speed, but ended up merely deflected his path towards a slender brunette. She and a man wearing a fedora had been closing in on his right. The Rogue's nails sunk into her wrist and she cried out.

Some of the lingering guests seemed to jolt out of a stupor and dashed for the exit. Besides the couple, Dr. Grissom, Dr. Robbins and the Blonde, who were directly behind Carlisle and Esme, were the only other humans who remained, although definitely looking more alarmed.

"Get away from her!" The man in the fedora yelled, he picked up a knife from a nearby table and hurled it at the Rogue. The sharp end glanced of his chest, only piercing the material of his hoodie. "What the hell?" The man yelled as the knife sunk instead into a chair.

At the same time Carlisle landed a punch to the side of the Rogue's head, causing him to land sprawled a good distance away. Undeterred, the Rogue jumped back to his feet and turned to the man who had thrown the knife and laughed. "I am the devil in man's skin, boy!"

The Rogue made a lunge for the man but Esme yanked him and the woman out of the way as Carlisle threw the Rogue against the wall.

The man grabbed the brunette's hand and dragged her out of the ballroom; the Rogue's eyes followed the drops of blood from her wrist as they traveled to the floor.

"It's best that you leave now." Carlisle warned the remaining three humans.

Ceasing the distraction, the Rogue slammed his knee into Carlisle's stomach and threw him aside.

"Carlisle!" Esme screamed, managing to half-catch him with one arm before he hit the floor.

The Rogue was a blur as he ran at the three humans, but suddenly Rosalie and Emmett were in front of them and they collided, the sound was like an earthquake, ricocheting off the walls of the Ballroom. One of the chandeliers crashed to floor, crystals skated across the tiles and scattered around the feet of man and Vampire alike.

"I'll get you! I'll get you! Just like the rest!" The Rogue screamed in flurry, trying to claw at the humans. "Just like the rest. So sweet. You all smell so good!"

Emmett and Rosalie threw the rabid Vampire off them and he crashed into a table, splitting it in two.

"Please leave," Carlisle asked. He wasn't sure if he was directing his question at the Rogue or the humans. Maybe both. They couldn't kill the Rouge with the humans present and they couldn't very welllet the Rogue kill the humans.

The Rogue was getting to his feet, his eyes darting to the human woman. "I shall have her." He snarled, but upon realizing the impossibility of defeating the other four vampires he seemed to reconsider and, before anyone could stop him, he was out the window he came in.

Dr. Robbins stared out the window with a strange expression on his face. Dr. Grissom seemed to have come back to his senses and was now focusing his attention to his friend. "Catherine? Catherine?"

The blonde was still staring at the window out of which the Vampire had disappeared.

"Mamn, are you okay?" Esme was at Catherine's side. Rosalie and Emmett had dissaperaed out the window as well.

The woman shook her head back and forth, "What…the fuck was that!?" She cried.

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Dr. Grissom said, "more or less. Dr. Cullen?"

* * *

TBC

* * *


	10. Explanations

**A/N: It's a short one. Sorry as always for the long wait.**

* * *

Chapter 10: Explanations

* * *

and you neglected I called you out don't please  
I said we're stronger than this now  
you resurrected mistakes years past it seemed  
and they exist to still haunt you

....

I could see it as you turned to stone  
Still clearly I can hear you say  
don't leave, don't give up on me  
two weeks and you ran away  
I remember don't lie to me  
you couldn't see that it was not that way  
swear I never gave up on you

I wanted nothing but for that trust again  
and brick by brick you would take it  
You feared of phantoms and none exist but you  
you still saw fit to destroy it

-"Two Weeks", All That Remains

* * *

"Grissom! Grissom!"

"Doc, what happened?"

"Catherine!"

When Carlisle, Esme, Catherine, Dr. Robbins and Dr. Grissom exited the Ballroom a few of the guests were lingering in the corridor. The rest, Carlisle presumed, were responsible for the commotion down the stairs. Their fear mulled together and assaulted his heightened senses.

He scanned the stunned faces in the corridor, this was one mess where manipulating the evidence to cover up what really happened wasn't going to be easy.

"Grissom, what the hell happened in there?" A man approached Dr. Grissom. "Did something explode?"

"I can't talk about it right now." Dr. Grissom responded calmly, continuing past them. His firm stride left nothing to question, he was stopping for no one.

Carlisle was relived on how lucky they were, given the circumstances. Dr. Grissom had had no objection when he had suggested they talk in private first and the woman hadn't actually said anything at all. Carlisle had caught Dr. Robbins eye as soon as the Rogue had flung himself out the window and a silent understanding had come between them. They would need to expand their circle tonight.

"What do you mean you can't tell us?" It was the brunette the Rogue had attacked, she had a men's jacket wrapped around her arm. The woman didn't seem at all put off by the injury as she fixed her molten glare upon Dr. Grissom.

"I'll explain when we get back."

"Where are you going?"

"We'll all talk later, Sara." He snapped, something – frustration - finally seeming to have worn through his cool demeanor.

The woman, Sara, gave Dr. Grissom a look so cold it was a surprise the doctor didn't shiver, then turned and grabbed on of her companion's arm. It was the man who had thrown the knife at the Rogue. He looked vaguely disoriented as he allowed himself to be led away. "Come on Greg, let's see if the uniforms have shown up." They disappeared down the stairs.

"Grissom," A man with a Texas accent approached Dr. Grissom. "Seriously, what happened?"

"I promise that we'll all discuss it later. Right now, I need you all to start processing the scene."

"What about witness statements?" Another man put in, stepping forward giving Dr. Grissom an incredulous look.

"Your interpretation of the scene should not be effected by witness accounts."

"But it's your witness statement."

Dr. Grissom let of a breath of air then raised his hands as if some psychic force could repel the questions from his team. "We'll all talk later. I promise. Now, excuse us."

He spun around and, with surprising swiftness, led Catherine, Carlisle, Robbins and Esme in the opposite direction that Greg and Sara went.

Dr. Grissom let them down the hall and around a few sharp turns before finally leading them into a vast conference room filled with hundreds of folded chair facing a dominating stage. Despite its size, they now had privacy.

"We don't have much time, this hotel's a crime scene." Dr. Grissom said, closing the doors behind them.

"This is a disaster." Catherine was muttering as she paced in-between a row of folded chairs, speaking for the first time in a while. "Right in front of the whole department, well most of it, this is a PR disaster! What the hell was that thing?" Catherine rounded on Carlisle. "You seemed…familiar with it."

Carlisle felt all eyes on him. "You were never meant to witness any of this." He paused.

"Well we did," Catherine snapped her red hair spilling over her shoulders as she tossed her head. "And if you know who that man was, I demand that you tell us!"

"That man…wasn't a man, Catherine," Dr. Robbins spoke up and she spun to face him full on. (All eyes fell on him and Dr. Robbins suddenly felt as if he was on the vast stage instead of sulking At the back of the room having secret conversations)

"You're in on this?" She blanched, "Well, in that case, I think you're ready to tell us exactly _what_ it is, then?"

"Yes…that's thing," his eyes skipped to Carlisle, he gave a slight nod, "was a vampire."

"Vampire?" Catherine shrieked, her voice considerable higher, "as in fanged, cape wearing, blood sucking _vampire_?"

"Not exactly." Carlisle said. This is why he avoided telling their secret. Well, one of the reasons, anyway.

"Do explain then." Dr. Grissom said.

"I believe the Rogue that we saw tonight the same vampire my family and I have been tracking for the past few days."

"And what makes you and your family so adept to do this? Descendants from Van Helsing?" Catherine barked.

"Not exactly." Esme said with a wryly smile.

"See, we're vampires as well." Carlisle said slowly.

"Oh, I see." Catherine said calmly, then broke suddenly into hysteric laughter.

"Catherine…" Dr. Grissom said.

"It's just…_that's_ the answer? Were all vampires! I mean…what are you going to tell me…werewolves are real, too?"

"Best take it one thing at a time." Carlisle said. His seriousness seemed to sober Catherine up.

"You can't seriously think that if you tell us you're vampires we won't haul all your asses downtown? Gil, back me up here."

They all looked at Dr. Grissom.

"I think we should hold off on dragging then to interrogation just yet."

"You're buying this?"

"Catherine, think of what you saw? Can this science we have explain what we witnessed? I think we have to admit that it's time to accept some extra help."

"And you trust them?"

"I trust Al."

"Al?" Catherine turned back to Dr. Robbins. "You knew all of this?"

"I've known Carlisle for some decades know, it seems. Do you think I wouldn't have realized that he hasn't aged a day?"

"So you think we should just call it vampires and leave them to it?"

"Unless you've been holding out on us, Catherine," Dr. Grissom said, "and have a collection of wooden stakes at the ready?"

"Maybe not, but don't think I'm not putting it together. Don't think for one second that I can't see that it's no coincidence that some crazy evil bloodsucker crashes Doc's party the same week girls are getting their throats ripped out. Gone on and tell me there's no connection?"

"It's possible." Carlisle said slowly. "And I think, if that be the case, it would be more effective if the catching of this particular killer were left to us."

"Oh no," Catherine stepped forward till she was directly in front of Carlisle. "Those women's family's need an answer not more horror movie stuff! There is no way I trust you with this. How do I know it's not you who's been killing these women? You said yourself you were a vampire!"

"We don't drink human blood." Esme said, sternly. "We're not murderers."

"This is still my case, our case," she indicated Dr. Grissom, "we can't just hand it over to you people, ever if Doc vouches for you."

"How about a compromise," Dr. Grissom jumped in. "A sort of joint investigation. Dr., Mrs. Cullen and their family could lend their expertise as a consult. Unofficial, of course."

"And if we play our cards right," Dr. Robbins added, "We can get the Rogue and bring these families some closure without anyone knowing this was really a vampire we were dealing with."

"By ourselves it would be impossible…" Carlisle said with a small smile.

"But together," Dr. Robbins said, "This could just work out for everyone. Catherine?"

"As long as we get the guy and the public never hear a whisper about this vampire business…"

"No, this can never get out." Carlisle's face grew dark.

"If the Volturi ever found out, or felt they had to interfere-" Esme was cut off.

"Wait, Vol-what?"

"The Volturi. Vampire royalty," Carlisle explained.

"So would we be better off dealing with them?" Catherine asked.

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"You'd probably end up dead." Dr. Robbins answered.

"Probably," Carlisle agreed, "The Volturi have a more…intense approach to these types of situations."

Catherine didn't respond.

"So we're in agreement?" Carlisle asked.

"One more thing," Dr. Grissom said, "I request we bring one more person in on this..."

"No, it's to dangerous, you two have complicated things too much already."

"Captain Jim Brass is the lead detective on the case. This plan cannot work without his help."

Just then, the door opened as the man in question strolled in.

"Gil! Catherine! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you two. What's going on? I go to the bathroom for five minutes and all Hell breaks loose!" He noticed Esme and Carlisle's presence. "What's going on here?"

"You explain, Gil," Catherine slumped into a nearby folding chair. "I need a minute."

"Well?"

Detective Brass looked at Dr. Grissom. Dr. Grissom looked at Carlisle.

"Fine, read him in, but no one else must know."

* * *

TBC

* * *

A/N: Not to sure about this one, honestly, please be kind!


	11. Wonderland

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my sister who is the master of all things Twilight. And thank you, also to everyone for sticking with me and my slow updating, we're over halfway done now. Un-betaed beware of misspellings.

* * *

Chapter 11: Wonderland

* * *

_Dead I am the life, dig into the skin  
Knuckle crack the bone, 21 to win  
Dead I am the dog, hound of hell you cry  
Devil on your back, I can never die_

- "Dragula", Rob Zombie

* * *

Bella tried her best to blend in with the crowd of scared and anxious guests in the Beliagio's lobby. Which wasn't hard, seeing as she was in fact scared and anxious. Edward stood beside her, talking rapidly in a low voice into his phone. He looked important and focused, a few people threw glances his way, curious to his behavior, but no one approached.

After fleeing the Ballroom, Edward had taken them up a flight of stairs all the way to their floor and to Emmett and Rosalie's room faster than a phone call would have taken. As Bella stood quietly, Edward had explained in a quick and quiet voice what had happened and the other vampires had rushed through the door to help Carlisle and Esme. Edward and Bella had returned to the lobby to work on blending in with the other confused and panicked guests that had also escaped the ballroom.

Suddenly, he snapped his phone shut and it disappeared into the inside pocket of his jacket. He looked up and met Bella's eyes.

"What's the verdict? Is everyone okay? Did we get him?" She asked immediately, firing the questions in rapid succession.

"Jury's still out," he said as he led them to an alcove at the side of the lobby. "That was Carlisle. The Rogue escaped and Rosalie and Emmett are in pursuit. Alice and Jasper should have joined by now."

"But they'll catch him, right? Four to one," Bella said, her eyes flicked to the crowd in the lobby, "that's really good odds and this is Vegas, after all."

"We can hope," Edward said simply, he took Bella's hand and pointed them toward the route that would take them away from the chaos while drawing the least attention. "Now, let's get back to our room's before this becomes a full fledged circus."

When they arrived in their room, Bella removed herself from where she'd latched onto Edward's back for the ride up the stairs, and collapsed onto the waiting sofa. She immediately undid the tiny buckles that bound her feet into the silver, strapy high heels Alice had forced her into. She leaned back into the cushions and the material of her dress irritated her skin where it started halfway down her back. She contemplated changing but decided she was too exhausted to bother and instead resigned herself to watching Edward roam around their apartment.

Feeling a prang of jealously mixed with an aged longing, she watched her fiancée move around their hotel room at an inhuman speed. Soon, she wouldn't be limited by her mortal fatigue. If she were a vampire now they could both be out hunting through Sin City looking for their Rouge.

Edward moved from window to window, door to door, checking and rechecking the security. His diligence made her feel more uneasy than secure, like a threat was really going to burst through one of them at any minute. He turned and caught her eye.

"I really think we should leave, Bella."

"We've been through this already, I'm not leaving." She slumped forward, resting her head on her hands, her elbows crinkled in the blue chiffon of her dress. "Besides, it's not even after me…for once."

"We don't know that. And even if you don't end up…" He didn't finish and changed tactics, "even if that's true we've stumbled onto two kills so far, what if there's a next time?"

"If we leave now, the cops will still get suspicious, they'll come after us."

"We can hide you! We can lie low for a few decades, by then the trail will have gone cold long ago and everyone will have forgotten by then."

"But I am suppose to marry you by then, we're suppose to be married tomorrow." She stood up and padded over to where Edward stood. "I want to marry you and go on our honeymoon, I don't want to flee Vegas and go on the lamb with the lion."

That did warrant a smirk on his part, "I know, but we can get married…later."

"But how much later? You said decades, I don't have decades. And as much as I hate to point out, it's more than putting off the wedding. It's also about these women. We're not running away and leaving their cases to go cold."

"We can take this vampire off the streets, we can stop him. You don't have to be here for that to happen."

"I'm not running away. I'm not letting him chase me away from this city, from this wedding. I'm not going to disappear off to some corner of the globe with no good-byes. I'm not leaving Charlie to get a call and learn there's another police department hunting me out because we skipped town on them. I'm not leaving Renee and my friends…to have the last they see of me to be our pictures on the news like fugitives." She switched to a professional monotone that she hoped resembled a news reporter, "Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen, wanted for questioning in relation to five murders in the greater Las Vegas…"

"Yes, there are five." He cut her off. "Five women, _young_ women, whose lives have been cut regrettably short. And while I respect your dedication to helping us catch the Vampire who did that, I cannot call myself your future husband and at the same time let you run the risk of becoming the sixth."

"I know, I know," she said slowly as she reached out and embraced him. She laid her head against his chest and felt the cold that seeped through the material of his tuxedo. "I know you want to protect me, and I love and appreciate that. But nothing you can say will make me leave. I'm in this for the long run."

"Bella…"

"I've made up my mind, you'll just have to stay here, fight this head on with me, sick by me…marry me."

o0o0o0o0o0o

Alice could feel Jasper's presence beside her as she leapt from a roof of an unknown casino to a rather nondescript business building. As she leaped from structure to structure, the people and cars roaming the strip looked like insects and the technicolor flashing lights made the city below swirl and move, and Alice thought that if she were to stand on the edge of one of the buildings she might be hypnotized to stop and stare until she fell forward into the sparkling abyss. Compared to the strobing lights beneath, the dirty, dark building tops all began to look the same. And in the unfamiliar city, she was forced to admit to herself, she wasn't entirely sure of exactly where she was.

She couldn't pinpoint a specific location in her mental map, but she figured that they had to be somewhere near or on the Strip due to all the flashing lights and activity below. She was aware Emmett and Rosalie were a few buildings ahead, having been just up lounging in their room when they were first by Edward (Alice and Jasper had caught up a few moments later.)

With a blind leap, Alice realized that she and the others had been essentially led in one big circle. For they had landed in the eerily barren section of the Strip that was currently under construction. The smell of gasoline and the ashen taste of concrete assaulted her senses as she landed next to Jasper.

The area was large, several acres and was promised to the assembly of new resort/casino/hotel complex. The ground breaking ceremony had taken place earlier in June and before that the area had been demolished and cleared so only a sandy wasteland remained in the wake of the former casino/hotel that had homed there.

A tall chain-link fence surrounded the entire area and floodlights were scattered about casting a faint glow over the site. Bulldozers, flatbeds, forklifts, backhoes, and various cranes and trucks were randomly parked throughout the area. Piles of rubble yet to be cleared as well as scaffolding erected in varying degrees were crowded around the beginnings of foundations for several building that dotted the construction site. The terrain was silent, yet chaotic, and it provided lots of little hiding places for their prey.

She automatically shifted her weight to the balls of her feet, as her stilettos were not sand-friendly and the sand then barley moved as Alice's boots carried her forward she and Jasper made their way between two trucks and closer to their game. They were out of the light and carefully out of the sight of the human workers left to guard the area.

And sure enough, a few dashes between construction equipment later, they found two men in identical blue shirts slipping coffee and reading in an orange pick up parked on one of the makeshift roads carved through the sand. Alice and Jasper smelt their siblings nearby and quickly joined them in their position behind a stack of cement pipes a few yards in front and to the right of the truck.

"If this Vamp wants to play hide and seek we can't do it with Tweedledee and Tweedledum watching," Rosalie was saying. "It's too risky."

"I agree," Alice replied as she and Jasper crouched beside her and Emmett, "But we can't kill them."

Emmett shook his head. "Carlisle would not approve."

"We could distract them," Alice suggested, by the look of the two guards the old dollar-bill-on-a-fishing-rod would do the trick.

"How?" Jasper and Emmett asked at the same time.

With lightning fast reflexes, Rosalie's hand shot out and snatched a piece of paper that had been rustling across the sand, blown by the night's breeze, some tourist's throw-away trash. Alice could see it was a brochure with a dragon and two knights on it's crumpled cover.

"Leave it to me," Rosalie said, standing straight up with the pamphlet clutched in her hand.

Quick as a flash, Alice watched as appeared beside the driver's side of the truck. She'd also let her hair down in the process.

"Hi!" She chirped and the guard closest split his coffee out in surprise.

"Hey…how did you…you're not suppose to be here."

"I'm so sorry, I just got a little lost."

Alice could see that the other man had put down his newspaper and had turned to face the visitor, his head peeking out from behind his partner's shoulder.

"Miss, this is private property."

"Oh, I didn't know, I must have taken a wrong turn. I've never been a city so huge, it's so scary and I'm so glad I found you guys parked here because this place is seriously freaky." Rosalie was rambling, but Alice didn't need to see her sister's face to know that she had turned on the charm. No mortal (or immortal) man could resist the call of Rosalie's amber eyes.

"Sounds terrible." One of the guards muttered.

"It is and now I'm lost. Do you know where Excalibur is?" She quickly flashed the pamphlet. "I'm suppose to meet my friends there. I heard they had jousting." The blonde head bobbed enthusiastically.

("Jousting!" Emmett said excitedly. "Let's do that after!")

"Friends…" the first guard drawled and he smoothed his comb-over, "not a _boy_friend."

("Emmett," Jasper chided. "Stay focused, we've got a murderous Vampire to hunt down.")

"Oh no," Rosalie giggled "Just me and the girls, we've had this all planned out since first semester! So, if you guys could just point me the right way I'd be so totally grateful!"

"Tell you what, little lady, we'll do you one better! Hop in, we'll drive you over there ourselves, a girl as pretty as you should not be walking alone a night."

"Oh, thank you!" Rosalie clapped her hands and bounced over to the other side of the truck at human speed. The guards had budged up to make room for her and Rosalie opened the passenger-side door and got in. "You guys should come! We can all see the jousting together!"

The guards exchanged unbelieving, yet ecstatic looks and the engine roared to life.

Alice and the boys watched the truck drive away and disappear out of sight. After a few minutes, the engine died off in the distance, total silence, then Rosalie appeared beside them.

Emmett looked at her warily. "Rose, what did you do?"

"Nothing! Relax! I used the sleeper hold you taught me. They won't remember anything except meeting a pretty girl," She explained while quickly snagging her hair up into a high ponytail. "They should wake up in a few hours… I think."

"Rose! You didn't use to much force did you?" Knowing his wife, they could be decapitated.

"No, they'll be fine. Although, they might be a little shocked when they wake up in the bed together parked off the Strip."

As if bored with the delay in the game of chase, a ways in the distance a cry broke the night. Alice and her siblings stood straight up to observe that their quarry had jumped on top of a small crane and proceeded to screech at the top of it's lungs, the sound carrying across the whole construction site.

"Well, that answers the question of where." Emmett stated as he and Rosalie took of towards the crane, veering to the right. Jasper and Alice sped off towards the left, they would run in a semi circle and approach their target from the right, Rosalie and Emmett would do the same on the left.

In a few seconds they arrived at the crane and, miraculously, the Rogue had waited for them. He was now perched on the roof of the crane's car. He kicked in the window and yanked on a few of the gears within.

"It is about time you guys showed up for the party." He sneered and with a leap he launched himself from the top of the car to the very tip of the crane.

Emmett had reached the crane first and wasted no time jumping onto the base and began swiftly climbing his way up the rig. But before he could reach him, the Rogue used his weight to spin the crane around, but Emmett continued to climb. The Rouge vaulted from the top of the crane onto the hook suspended from the cable hanging from the top of the crane's arm. The force caused the crane to begin spinning faster, slowing Emmett's ascension. Rosalie had also reached the crane and with a timed jump, reached up and grabbed onto one of the Rogue's dangling legs. She used the other the claw at him, the Rogue hissed and tried to shake her off.

Alice and Jasper reached the crane. They wasted no time on jumping onto the rig, the metal heaved with the addition of the two more vampires. Jasper landed onto the top of the car, Alice landed on the side. She dug her fingers into the metal of the side and felt it warp beneath her fingers, with her other hand she ripped off the door and crawled into the small cabin. She heard the metal roof above her creak and through the small window in front of her she saw that Jasper had launched himself onto the arm of the crane and was several yards behind Emmett. Alice knew that her brothers would not try to jump from the arm to the cable from which the Rouge and Rosalie were hanging. They could jump the distance easily, but the momentum of the rapidly spinning crane would cause them to overshoot their target and miss the swinging cable.

Removing her eyes from the scene before her, Alice focused instead on the gears and controls before her. The crane's dashboard was lit up and the gages and dials were flickering and spinning almost as wildly as the crane itself. Alice wasn't sure if she was ashamed to admit it, but when it came to the considerable amount of skills and talents she had developed over her prolonged stay on earth, operating a crane was not one of them. She spotted a partially large lever and pulled it towards her.

The crane jolted a few feet higher in the air and the whole rig tilted to the side and then fell back into place with a shudder. The arm remained spinning.

"Alice!" Rosalie yelled angrily from where she hung suspended from the one of the Rogue's feet. He aimed another kick at her but she punched the boot away.

"Sorry!" Alice cried. "I'm trying!"

Alice leaned back away from the gears and clutched the leather seat beneath her with both hands to steady herself. She closed her eyes and focused and eventually the noise of the creaking crane and the growls and hisses of the others died away to a dull hum. She ignored the jostling of the crane and soon that also died away. She focused of the Rogue, his scent, his image, his dark essence. Blurring balls of faded color moved around in her mind's eye and slowly began to form pictures.

_His face contorted in a mix of rage and determination. _

_His leg drawing back. _

_A boot coming in contact with Rosalie's chin. _

_Rosalie plummeting to the ground._

Alice's eyes snapped open and the world came flooding back, she'd removed her hands from the seat and was now clutching the dash for support. Even though she wasn't sure if she could have done anything to stop it, Alice still cruised herself as she watched her vision play out and witnessed Rosalie take a hard hit and lose her grip. She landed crouched on the ground, unharmed, but she had lost her prey and snarled in frustration.

"Rose!"

She caught her sister's eye and jerked her head. Rose nodded and in a flash of blonde hair abandoned the base of the crane.

Her vision had given her an idea, with Rosalie out of the way she was ready. Grabbing the same lever she had pulled before, she forced it all the way forward, the handle snapped off but she had achieved her goal and the crane's armed slammed forward and into the ground.

Alice was the last to reach the wreck of the arm. Dust and sand had filled the air for a few seconds, but was now beginning to dissipate. Although try as they might, they could not find the Rogue in the debris. Their quarry was not caught under the arm as Alice had hoped and she once again began trying to tune in on her prey.

_Crowds of dark figures obscured by bright neon lights, the dark shapes of cars and vehicles whipping past. _

She opened her eyes and saw Jasper beside her and felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Where is he headed?"

"The Strip."

At her words, the four vampires ran at top speed to the edge of the construction site. They found a desert and dark portion of fencing and pried open a hole and soon they were on the street. Automatically they split up in different directions to search, Rosalie and Emmett headed across the street towards MGM, Alice and Jasper back towards the Bellagio.

They traipsed up and down Las Vegas Boulevard, weaving in and out to the pulsing crowd of mortals. A few times Alice thought she got a whiff of his scent but as she tried to follow it, the trail was swallowed up by the mixing aromas of the thousands of humans on the sidewalks and roads.

Soon they all circled back to the block across from the construction site and hid from prying eyes and ears in the alley behind a decorative café. They exchanged frustrated and defeated looks.

Alice leaned up against a wall and closed her eyes.

"Can you tell if he's still here?" Emmett asked her. "Where's he headed?"

Shapes began to form under her eyelids and she described them for the others to hear.

"It's a room…dark…the walls are made of brick, could be a basement, there's junk all over the place..."

"Great," Rosalie groaned, "he could be anywhere."

Emmett growled and knocked his head against the alley wall, a few pieces of cement feel out and joined the gravel below.

"It's no use…we've lost him."

* * *

TBC

* * *

A/N: With the combined help of the Wiki entry for the City Center and the Twilight Lexicon I think my description off what the landscape would have looked like at that time is at least semi accurate. And thank you to the magic of Google maps, they're very addicting.


End file.
